Category Archives: Friends

I’m no fool. I know that I burn. I know my white skin doesn’t tan, not really. I know that I should wear sunblock and, in fact, I did on Saturday, which I spent all day at the pool. I diligently checked my skin for any signs of mistreatment from the sun, even though it was cloudy most of the day. I saw nothing and.. then I guess I forgot all about it–until, that is, I realized I was bright red, but only in splotches. I’d burned one shoulder, one leg, one half of my chest and all my upper back. Even though I had the tub of sunblock in my bag, it didn’t go to any good use. I saw every one reapplying, but thought nothing of it.

Obviously, burns happens when you least expect it, and you need to reapply product before you see them. I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me. I guess it’s because I never spend that much time out in the sun? Luckily, it looks worse than it is. It’s a little uncomfortable but not itchy. There’s no blistering and I don’t think it will even peel. The red has quickly faded, at least to me.

In the end, was it worth it? Absolutely! I’ll be more diligent next time, but I had fun with old friends and making new ones. I dipped my feet and waded into the lake. I played with others’ kids and enjoyed some grillin’ food. I felt so normal and stress-free! I needed that. Even though I’d only had an hour of sleep, I enjoyed  relaxing under the best-placed tree I’ve ever met! And looking at this:

Mission Lake

Saturday evening, I invited a few friends over to play games and have a lowkey birthday bash. I was worried it would be too boring for people, but it wound up being quite fun. A smaller group of us went out to dinner beforehand, and I enjoyed some food from Olive Garden. We retired to my place, where we played several rounds of a game called celebrities, which I found online. Everyone liked it more than I figured, and it was funny to see glimpse into how people thought. We enjoyed some snack foods and a movie–Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Everyone left at a different time–and not everyone who I invited could show up–but it was good nonetheless.

There were no presents or alcohol, but that’s okay with me. There was a little cop-pulling-one-of-my-friends incident, but that seemed to resolve itself. All in all, a success.

Since my best friend moved back about two weeks ago, I’ve been spending a lot of time with her. The result is that I’ve actually been less active online. I’m so exhausted from fitting in the work and the play that I come home, usually skip the computer, and spend at least five hours trying to sleep. Anyway, it’s been a lot of fun. I enjoy spending time with her so much and I forgot how much I missed her. She has two little girls — and a big husband — and getting to know the little ones better is fun, too.

Her mother-in-law hosted a welcome home/bithday party Saturday, so I attended. I got a lot of sun.. but only on one arm. It looks pretty silly. I’m enjoying wearing shorts and tank tops and feeling more comfortable with my body. Plus, I am considering that I might tan. The sun I’m getting isn’t working toward a tan, but I’m okay if I get a little tan. I like it, especially on my face, because it helps to even out my ruddy complexion.

On Sunday, she and her husband went house shopping. Because we’re kind of, sort of talking about moving in together, I went with. We visited seven or so houses, most of which we’d found online through a friend’s realtor. There was one that all the ladies liked and it happened to be the first one we saw. It’s not huge, but a great starter home, with five bedrooms, an extra den/family room and a clean, albeit not finished, basement.

There really was only one other home that worked for them, until they realized they couldn’t get a loan. A lot of the houses were simply ridiculous, in need of far more DIY work than the couple could realistically put in. Still, I enjoy looking at homes. I like DIY and house flipping shows, too. It’s interesting to see how some are laid out. There were two houses that were particularly interest.

1. Was a tiny bungalow. It wasn’t on our list specifically. Someone else suggested it. However, it was really too small for my friend. It did have a nice backyard, fenced in with dog kennels and a fire pit. However, it was a tiny house with an awkwardly placed third bedroom (dining room?), walkthrough living room that led to a loft/style staircase. It definitely wasn’t meant for a growing family. The strange part, however, was that there was a front door pretty much painted on. The only entrances were at the back, and I guess the owners felt that the house looked odd. So they attached some 2x4s and painted into a fake door, with a fake knob and lock. Then, they surrounded it with a deck. When we realized this, we were all perplexed. Plus, the listing said there was a basement but no one could find a door.
2. The second house was some sort of prefab from the ’50s or ’60s, complete with a carport. Above, was a screened in porch area, but it didn’t seem safe enough to really use. The split level design was interesting; although, the previous owners had started a renovation they never finished. There were no baseboards, the windows needed to be redone, there was a gigantic maze of a basement that appeared to have been gutted, the deck was falling apart and it didn’t even seem like there was heat. It looked like it might have been something in its heyday, but that day was long house. Because of its labyrinthine basement, we call it the dungeon house.

I don’t know if I’ll go along for any more house hunting, but I definitely felt like it was an adventure! At one point, we drove passed a gaping hole in the street. At another, someone shot off a single firework right next to us. I nearly jumped into the closest person’s arms, Scooby Doo style. Perhaps everything is more exciting with the right person. d=

At what point in a new friendship is it okay to ask this question? Because I really feel awkward mentioning people in my blog — by name — if I haven’t received express permission and haven’t already been blogging about them for years. But these people are important to me and in my life and I want you to know about them. But no one in my offline life blogs and few people understand the significance of my blog or even blogging in general.

Am I fretting too much? Should I just do what feels right? Should I change names?  When did this sense of privacy and respect even come about the begin with?

This isn’t a post about Jacob.

Or Wendy.

Although it could be.

But no, this is a post about Christie. Wonderful Christie who listens to me vent all the time and always makes me laugh. Christie who said, hey, maybe you should just skip finding a man and have a baby if you’re lonely. Or, better yet, she suggests, go buy yourself some sperm and have a baby and give it to me. Cause I want one.

I told her she’s crazy. Because she is.

Then I dreamt about having babies.