Happy Birthday to Me!

Hello!!  Today is my 42nd b-day!!  And, so far, it's going very well!!  The first thing I did this birth year was kiss my sweetie.  So, that was a nice start already.  Then, I got up this morning and went to spin class and worked out hard.  THEN, despite that I went to Wh-o-l-e F-o-o-ds and passed several pastry carts on the way home, I thought -- I want the first thing I eat this year to set the right tone for the year.  So, I had some Greek yogurt with fruit when I got home.  (I know.. gag.. I'm such a freaking martyr... LOL!)

 

Later today, I'm taking one of my biggest clients (who I love) to lunch at a vereeee fancy restaurant in midtown for our annual b-day lunch.  And, later this afternoon, my dad and step-mom fly in for the weekend.... to meet Steve's parents for the first time!!  That will happen on Friday.

 

Tonight, though, I'm having a dinner party at my house for my dad, step-mom, Steve, myself and four really close friends.  I wanted to do this so that my dad & step-mom would get to know some of my good friends better before the wedding.  I just think that will really add to everyone's fun!!

 

Sooooo, I set the table as pretty as possible....  Want to see it??  Here you go!  The placemats, runner and napkins are from S-er-e-na and Lil-y, and were a gift from my dad and step-mom last year.  I love them.

 

Plainly, I'm suffering from old age because, when I got back from spin, I asked Steve -- didn't the grocery delivery get here??  Well, dear friends, it turns out that some idiot (Read:  me) forgot to click through the final screen and I never ordered the food for tonight.  AGH!!!!  Guess who is taking the morning off of work to go to the grocery store? . . . DOH.

In better news, I opened some presents this morning!!  I got some adorable clothing from my mom and brother, and my mom gave me a potato ricer (which I'd specially requested and will use when I make tonight's dinner... Shepherd's Pie).  My mom also wrote me the nicest letter for my b-day.  I seriously cried when I read it -- it was just so nice, and I will treasure it always.

She also did a fantastic job with the wrapping paper -- see below!

 

Max, "helping" me unwrap my presents 

Steve and I also had a great call this morning with a bluegrass band that we're going to use for our ceremony and cocktail hour (Steve plays bluegrass music -- so this will make the wedding al the more personal for us).  I really want to walk down the aisle to a bluegrass version of a reggae song -- right now, I'm thinking it will be One Love.  Just want to review the lyrics and make sure it's not too far off the mark!  The band said that they would do it, and I think that would be pretty amazing!  I kind of want them to start the strings in with the first few bars of the "Here comes the bride" song, then go right into One Love.   We'll see how it works!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Storms and Participating in the Democratic Process!

Me, in D.C., on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, with the Capitol Building behind me.

Steve and I weathered both of the big recent storms just fine.  I lost power (and heat... and eventually water..) for the better part of a week, but since Steve's apartment had power, we were able to stay there.  All in all, it wasn't that bad, and it was nothing short of wonderful to have so much down time together.

My storm-induced staycation let me do something I've wanted to do for a LONG time... clean out my closet!  I needed to do this to make room for Steve to move in, and now it is officially done.   As most of you guys know, I pretty well cleaned out my closet as I lost weight, by sending clothes to other bandsters through the Sisterhood of the Traveling XL Dress.  But I still had a bunch of things in there that needed to go!  It felt so good to get it all in order and to switch out my closet from summer to winter wear (that's what folks in NYC do, since we have such limited closet space...). 

In other news, I feel like I really have had a very U.S.A.-focused two weeks.  During the Sandy aftermath, I listened nonstop to discussions of the election and the storm on a little battery-operated radio that Steve gave me.  Then, on election day, I stood in the cold for 2 1/2 hours (mostly outside -- my feet were completely numb with cold by the end) in order to vote.  And, I also went to Washington, D.C. to see oral argument in a Supreme Court case.  All in all, I feel like I really got to participate in (or at least watch) all three branches of the government -- voting for the Executive and Legslative branch reps, and watching the highest court in our Judiciary branch.  Not too shabby!

I also made time to donate some supplies (a big box of diapers and wipes) to the folks in Staten Island who are suffering in the aftermath of Sandy.  They made it incredibly easy by registering on A-ma-z-o-n, so I was able to just click and donate.  It was really important to me to do something, since I feel very grateful to have made it through the same storm safely and with relatively little trouble.

By the way, on election day, I took some time out to think about what I was up to last election day.  I was just 12 days post-op then, and hadn't even gone through Bandster Hell yet.  Say what you will about Obama and how the nation has fared during the last four years, but I sure as heck am not complaining about how those years went!! :)  Can you imagine??  If I hadn't had my surgery, those years would have been so different, I am sure.  I wonder if I'd be at 270 today, or if I would have found a way to lose a bit of the weight, or at least maintain.  Anyway, it doesn't matter.  That's not what happened.  Did I mention how grateful I am??  WHEW.