I said I don't want a Hawaiian flower!

What a fun weekend it was! Right up until it was dark at 5:30pm that is. Regardless, the last couple of days were about about catching up with a favorite old friend and hanging out with an even older one. Since the latter was actually "Amber" I want to clarify right up front that the "older" part is not about age, it's about friendship length by number of years. "Amber" will be all up on me in seconds if I don't make that crystal clear. Somebody is a little sensitive about her 30's...

In any case, My good friend Erica was in town and it was a level-1 priority to see her this weekend! I'm using her real name because I'm guessing 99% of you know her anyway. Seriously, Erica is friends with the majority of the free world. If you don't know her, there is a good chance she is on your cousin's Christmas card list. Trust me on this. She's that person in front of you in the grocery store line holding everyone up twenty minutes while she asks checker (by name) if his dad is feeling better from that cold he had last weekend. I'm the person behind her purposely sighing loudly as I say, "I know Emery....I wanted to get home quickly too" to a 3 year who is unaware we are even having a conversation and still angry he didn't get a prize for sitting in the cart. Erica just up and moved to California about a month ago so we've been missing her a lot! Lucky for us, she had time to host a little get together on her weekend trip back...

It started with a ladies pedicure outing with Erica and Pamela Susan (of cake-pop fame) herself! I bet Pamela was concocting some sort of nail polish Thanksgiving craft idea in her head the whole time we were there...I'm positive of it. Now I love pedicures, but I don't think they relax me the way they relax most people. I was actually having trouble catching up with my old pal because I just couldn't get myself to trust the nail technician on blind faith alone and the paranoia was really distracting. Those ladies are crafty business woman and they can trick you in a second! "No...I don't want a flower. No I don't want a deluxe spa pedicure. No I don't want a manicure. No I don't want want french tips. No I don't want to turn on my massage chair. Wait, I do want to turn on my massage chair. You tricked me!" If I'm not paying attention I'll walk out of there $100 poorer with bedazzled Hawaiian toes.

I avoided all of the pedicure pitfalls this time though, kept my money, and had a slightly better chance to catch up later that evening at her house. But a "small gathering" of Erica's closest friends still requires that chairs be brought in from another room so it's no time to let your guard down. Seriously, her house on a weekend visit home feels like my grandma's house on Christmas: every man for himself! And if you're on the slower side you need to get real comfortable saying, "No, I prefer to sit on the floor...really" like you mean it. Kidding, they have enough seats! Erica that is....not my grandma. My grandparents house has stayed the same size for 50 years but they are plus 9 grandchildren, their spouses, and 17 great-grandchildren since they built it. Oh how I wish "tap tap seat back" still worked! At my grandma's house you have to weigh whether you value getting up to taste her homemade Rocky-Road candy more than a comfortable perch to watch the festivities. There isn't any way to have both so if you get up....it's till the last present is opened and we do it "one at a time" in that house. Nonetheless, I adore my grandma's Christmas tradition, but still I digress...

We had a great evening catching up.... but it went too fast! So Erica, If I forgot to tell you on Saturday, we have really missed you guys!! We can't wait to see you, Brad, and the family in December! The last time I felt a hole in my life like this was when Mother's Cookies went out of business and that aisle of the grocery store was eerily empty. Come back! I mean, Mother's Cookies actually did so I'm holding out hope for you too :)

I thought I would also have time to talk about my mall trip with "Amber" where I disguised exploiting her for childcare by saying we should "get together and catch up." I can make a long story short by saying "Amber" spent a good two hours taking Emery up and down the elevator and escalator while I shopped in peace. Sucker!! (Sidenote: Some of those tall boots would negate the need for someone of my height to wear pants at all! They need a petites boot section!) I would tell you more, but I my hands already hurt from typing and I need to go grocery shopping. On a related note, I want to ask why grocery shopping with kids is so difficult? In concept it's not actually a big deal. In reality, I am thinking that opening a Xanax stand right outside those double automatic doors may lead to an early retirement for me. But that's another post entirely....