31

I turn 31 in approximately 12 hours (I was born 7ish in the a.m.). I am sitting on my bed, drinking some really good Chardonnay (not usually a fave), mini brownies and watching Juno for the first time. Bella and Paul have joined me.

I'm excited.

31. I'm finally an adult. Here comes middle-age. Welcome middle-age. Parking in back (ha!).

Truly, I am excited. It feels a little weird, to be excited about getting older. But I am. As my dear friend, Amanda, put it, "You're really an adult now." Indeed, I am. And I ain't takin' no crap. Okay, that's not true. But, I've decided since I will be 31 tomorrow, I don't need to go on any trips to the gun store with my dad and uncle who are visiting, which I would have done when I was 30 or younger. No, I've passed into a new realm. I am now 30+. I am an adult. And I love it.

It surprises me that I am so embracing of aging. Well, I'm not fond of my white hairs, but now that I'm 31 (well, almost), I feel they fit. White hairs in your 20s? No way. 30s? OK. Wrinkles, bring them on. I feel now I need them for street cred. Who's going to believe I'm 30+ without some crows feet?

Seriously, I am so excited. I know, I know. It sounds like, "Me think she doth proclaim too much." But, really, I am. I feel like I'm 17. No, 19 years old. But I am very excited to tell people I'm 31.

So, cheers. Raise your glass. Here's to 31. And here's to another 31 years.

Vacation!

Today is the first day of a four work day (plus two weekend days) hiatus from work.  Six days away.  Is this what heaven feels like?  

It felt so weird yesterday setting my out of office message, re-recording voice mails, to say I would be gone six days and knowing it wasn't because I'd be gone for work travel.

And I left my work cell phone on my desk.

Freedom.

Freedom from all the drama, the dead-lines, the politics (both inner- and outer-office), phone banks, ants (we have an ant infestation), worries, commutes, e-mail and the little stupid sh*t.  Work has not been fun.  Last week was the best week I've had in a long time.  But not so great to make me miss one thing while I'm away.

And here I am, the first day of my break, doing what?  Blogging about work.  D'oh!

Updates (in no particular order):

1) the increase in meds is working out fabulously, as is taking them in the morning.  I'm a little curious to see if my doctor will up my dose just to see what would happen, if life could be even better.

2) Bella is still bone obsessed.  But, Jason did find a bone she will actually chew and eat.  Hooray!  We're now trying to train her that the cats do not want her bone and that it isn't necessary for her to growl at them every time they walk past.  Of course, the moment we get her trained, one of the cats (I'm looking at you Hugo) will attempt to touch and/or steal the bone.

3) I visited the San Juan Islands last weekend (Friday Harbor to be exact).  Wow.  Such a fantastic place.  You must go.  No, really, you must.  And make sure to visit the camel.

4) Grandma is doing well.  My parents are staying with her right now.  She's walking with a cane.  Still having some memory lapses.  

5) Jason and I have been doing couples therapy for about two months now, and, wow, has it made a difference.  My marriage totally rocks.  And, Jason, well, let's just say he's the greatest spouse ever and leave it at that.

6) My good buddy, Heather, is really blossoming as a photographer.  And I think it's helping her blossom as a person (I hope she's not too chagrined that I just wrote that).  I am so very proud.  And totally in love with her photos.  And very proud.  (I'm feeling lazy, being on vacation and all, so the link to her site is to your right - More Adventurous).

7) We adopted more fish!  We now have 5 total - Alfie, the original, a Beta; Gypsy, a little sucker fish to clean the tank; and Fanty and Mingo, two cute orange fish that are biological cousins of the Beta.  (Bonus points for those that can identify where the names for the new fish came from.) All seem to be getting along, but when Jason returned home last Sunday, he found Alfie a bit beat up and had to move him to another tank to recuperate.  Not sure if it was the other fish or the tank or the "play things" in the big tank that did the damage.  He is fine now and back in the big tank with the others.

8) Snow.  It just won't stop.  No real accumulation, but every couple days we get a snow shower.  WTF?  I know I live in higher elevation land, but this is just a bit silly.  The tulips and trees have finally blossomed.  Hopefully, the weather patterns will take a hint and start sending warmer weather our way.

Well, I should probably go brush my teeth and get out of my pjs, since my mom will be arriving soon.  But, how glorious - it's 11:30 am and I'm still in my pjs and unbrushed.  Yay vacation!

Holy Crap, where has the time gone?

So, my mind has been slipping into funky time warps lately. I think it's two weeks ahead of the actual time. The end of March seems ages ago. My birthday isn't tomorrow? Weird.

And my life, it has been kicking my a**. Job - out of control busy. Increased meds, taken in the AM instead of the PM. PMS. Fridge died. Gas is insanely expensive. And it keeps snowing. Well, not in town, but in the mountains near by and it's not exactly cold, but not exactly warm. However, the forecasters promise it will be 72 degrees both here in M-F and PDX, where I'm hanging this weekend.

Last week, Jason bought Bella a raw hide bone. Not sure why, because she has steadfastly refused to chew on anything that can't then be swallowed shortly thereafter. She's not a chewer. But, he still bought her this bone. He smeared chicken fat on it in the hopes that would make her a chewer. Instead, she licked it until the fat was gone or unlickable. And despite all this, she does not abandon the bone. Thankfully, she's stopped feeling the need to be with it 24/7. But, in the morning, when we go down for her morning constitutional, she checks to make sure it's still where she left it before venturing outside. She growls at or closely monitors anyone who goes near it, including Jason. When I brought it closer to me, she picked it up and moved it two feet away from my clutches. Right now, she's laying in the middle of the room, the bone tucked near her chin. I just don't get it. And I can't decide if she's being OCD about it and it's making her anxious. Or she truly loves it, like it's her baby. Perhaps, just perhaps, it's not for me to decide.

And that last sentence is a good example of how my therapy session went today. No answers, just many good examples of my neuroses.