In which I journey to far-off lands the East Bay in search of a mythical labor-inducing pizza. (Not because I'm desperate to get this show on the road…just mostly because pizza sounded good, and labor pizza sounded funny, and whenever the words "funny" and "pizza" go together that can't be a bad thing.)
Here's how it went.
A few last-minute things I've been checking off my list prior to Goldie's arrival:
1. Gel Pedicuring. Have I mentioned how amazing gel pedicures are? They are amazing. They last forevvver, and since I am lazy about getting to the salon generally and anticipate extra-laziness about making time for the salon in the coming months, this is a good thing. I went for neon orange sort of by accident - it looked coral in the sample, and then turned fluorescent on my nails - but hey, it's August, and toes that look like little glowworms never killed anyone. (I was going to get a gel manicure, too, but my nails are looking like they need a break from polish, so I'm going the cleanly-filed-and-bare route for a bit.)
2. Bang Trimming. Not "bangs," exactly (I'm over them for the time being), but rather "a few shorter pieces of hair in the front part of my head." Why? Because when I have zero time to deal with styling my hair, my go-to solution is to throw it all up into a messy bun, and then just blow-dry those shorter front pieces with a round brush and let them fall where they like.
You know by now how much we love road trips. Mostly because of the adventure, the not-quite-sure-where-we're-headed-ness of it all, the willingness to see a sign along the side of the highway and turn onto a dusty road to follow it just because we're curious and we've got nowhere to be. But sometimes it's good to at least start out with a goal in mind - a place to set our GPS to that we know we'll end up loving - and that's what we did on Saturday.
Ever since I wrote that we were coming out here for the summer, I've been getting emails from readers that have been some of the most thoughtful, wonderful emails I've ever received. You've sent me words of support and encouragement that have made me feel not-so-alone while living in a place where I don't really know anyone at all, but even more than that: you've sent me lists.
I love lists.
And the lists that you've sent of things we simply have to do and see while we're out West have been such a gift. They've helped me make this summer not just "nice"…but one of the best ever.
…is a Trader Joe's ice cream sandwich.
I remember this from the end of my last pregnancy: you can only eat tiny amounts of food at a time, because your stomach is located somewhere in your vertebrae and smushed to the size of a pea. What this means is that I've gotten really weird-specific about what I want to ingest. It has nothing to do with nutrition, the time of day, the amount of ice cream I have already eaten over the past twenty-four hours…all it has to do with is WANT THAT NOW.
For example:
I no longer want peaches, strawberries, mangos, or any of the other fruits that I've spent the past nine months obsessing over. Instead, I would like cantaloupe and watermelon, and all of it, please.
On Monday, I wrote about five things I was really glad I brought along with me this summer.
Now, let's talk what I lugged all the way across the country…only to have sit unused in my closet, making me crazy (because when I look at the items listed below, all I can see is the potential for Overweight Luggage fees coming my way upon our return trip).
