Love, Fred.

I can imagine Hugh giving his longtime girlfriend, - and my dear friend - Karen, this 2 Carat Cup by Fred, thinking he was being funny.

Don’t do it, Hugh. Not unless you also have a Tiffany box ready in your pocket. Or I’m not around to kick your ass… or whatever is left over after Karen’s done with you.

By the way, if you’re unfamiliar with Fred, you really should remedy that right away. A few among the many Fred products I love:

Black Bars - when anonymity is a must.

Birthday Candelabra Candle - celebrate fabulously.

Toasted Notes - as with Post-Its, why didn’t I think of that?

On another kinda sorta related note, I want to congratulate my sister, Elysia, on her recent engagement to David! Whisked away to NYC for a long weekend, the proposal occurred atop Rockefeller Plaza. The deal was sealed with a custom designed, 1.5 carat emerald cut diamond (not counting the dozen or so pavé diamonds encircling the platinum band). Clarity: E… for Elysia, we surmised. The sucker is ginormous, especially when viewed on the hand of my petite sister who Tim refers to as the runt of the family.

You paying attention, Hugh?

Hell… Nevermind that… Are YOU paying attention, TIM?! :p

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Permit me this.

I want to thank Melissa for reminding me to give myself permission to write or NOT to write. Thank you. Why is it so hard to just simply give ourselves a break? And thank you, Cardiogirl, for boosting my ego. I’ve read you wax on about the hepness of some of the folks whose blogs you read. However, you, m’dear, are shoulder to shoulder with them.

***

I’ve been trying to reclaim more time for myself lately. About a month ago, I realized I have had virtually no kind of break since Sofie’s been home… 14 months now. Well, I had one 24 hour period in LA and a 5 day trip back to KC. That was for a funeral though, so that doesn’t count.

A month ago, Tim went with me to my LONG OVERDUE therapy session. He, um, actually called to make the appointment on my behalf. I hadn’t been in, like, 11 months. But, hey, I was still seeing my psychiatrist every 4 months or so, so stop shaking your finger at me.

Having a baby, working full time, being an introvert who ends up staying awake until 2 a.m. most nights because she can only get time to herself after everyone has gone to bed… I’ve just been trying to get through each day. I didn’t need yet another obligation… another appointment… to get in my way.

Anyway, it was good to go. My therapist helped to translate my needs to Tim. He finally seemed to start understanding my comments, “There isn’t any of me left…” or “I’m all spent”… or “I need time to myself…”

(I know, I know. What’s not to understand, Tim? Okay. Let’s move on, everyone.)

My therapist helped us come up with a plan of action, and helped Tim to see that if I get more significant time to myself (2 hours here and there ain’t cutting it), I’ll be spending less time on poor substitutes for “me time,” which will result in more of me - happy me - for him.

Memorial Day weekend, I decided to stay home while Tim took Sofie to San Diego to visit with his family. THREE WHOLE DAYS to MYSELF. WON. DER. FUL. I got to hang with Karen, sleep in, go to the I Madonnari festival, power through Ugly Betty episodes awaiting me on my dvr… By the end of it all, I missed my baby and was eager to be with her again. Absence helped my heart grow fonder, and I was recharged.

I’ve also been taking more evenings to myself, going out with friends, trying to slowly reclaim part of my life for me. Last weekend, Karen, Kerri and I went to LA to - what else? - karaoke. And eat. ahem. By the way, I didn’t know one could overdose on Pocky. Yes, I have saved you all the trouble of finding out for yourselves. You are very welcome.

Pocky with crushed almonds. The giant box. yum.

Bless Tim for taking on Sofie all the while. But then again, he HAS had more opportunities to be away. Yeah, yeah, business trips are still work, BUT you don’t have a 24/7 physical obligation to someone. Not to mention I did BIRTH the baby… I’m playing that card for as long as possible. And after all of his Sofie-sitting, he WILL reap the benefit of having a happier me around, n’est-ce pas? Sounds win-win to me.

***

Anyway, as part of this recent resurfacing of my life, I’ve decided to stop trying to catch up on all of the (blog) reading on which I am behind. I hope you all will forgive me if I ask questions which you already answered months ago. Just humor me as you would your forgetful grandma, or your lush friend who can’t remember any details about last weekend’s bender.

Here I am. Now.

Today, I stumbled upon Drew Mackie’s blog. I LOVE the concept of the meme he posted, and am reminded of HOW MUCH good stuff I’ve been missing… written by my real world friends, blog friends, and friends-to-be. Thanks, Drew. I can’t wait to see what music you conjure up for my entry. :)

Everyone, go over and play with Drew!

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