I got a manicure with my friend, had coffee at a cute little shop, walked old downtown and had Gooeys with a heroic of ladies.

So, my girlfriend turned 50 on tax day. You can’t not celebrate a fiftieth birthday, especially when it falls on tax day. The plans for the day were her idea. She loves a good manicure as sandal season approaches. That’s a pretty rare thing for me, as nail polish usually ends up peeling off layers of my nails when I remove it. But, that’s worth it every now and then to have pretty toenails. It would have been a bit better had the weather yesterday morning been a bit warmer than 36 degrees. However, it did warm up throughout the day. I went with a red sparkly big toe and champagne luster for the rest. Of course, me being me, I had to add some nail stickers to it when I got home, because solid colors are just a bit boring.

After the mani, it was off to the newly opened second store of one of our favorite coffee houses. I know what you’re thinking… that I lied in an earlier post about not being a coffee drinker. But, I’m not, really. In our town, there are drive through coffee shops every few blocks, and numerous sit down shops. One shop is in a converted Jiffy Lube store, a couple others took over defunct delicatessens, yet another, cleverly called The Vault took over, you guessed it, an old bank. They are literally everywhere!!! So, when people get together for a quick visit, it is often over coffee. If you are meeting a business acquaintance, it is at a coffee shop. Are you getting the picture? I am not a daily drinker, just a social one. Boy, that sounds bad…

Oh! Did I mention that I bought tiaras for this celebration? I picked up a couple, one for the birthday girl, and a smaller one for me to wear, so she wouldn’t feel awkward wearing one. I find that the older I get, the more game I am to do that type of thing. I wouldn’t have worn a tiara in public back five years ago.

Anyway, after coffee we went downtown, did a little window shopping then met up with a few more of her friends for Gooeys at the local resort restaurant. Gooeys are huge, gooey, ice cream desserts, filled with candies, cookies and other diabetic nightmares. They are big enough for one teenager who doesn’t think about their health or waistline, or four adults. Even their personal sized ones are at least three of what I would consider a serving. I split one with my friend, and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these ladies I had never met. After a couple hours, it was a quick walk to the car and a quick drive home.

After saying our goodbyes, I headed to my house down the road, and immediately dove into making a list of what needed to get done this week with preparing for the feasts and all the paperwork I needed to prepare for permitting our build. Between that stuff, mowing our rental lawn a couple times before it closes, taking my dad to cataract surgery and follow up appointments, there will be little time for fun for the next few weeks. I just hope that as our weather warms, I can squeeze in a little gardening at my own home. There are a couple monstrous weeds in the lawn that drive me buggy every time I see them.

Make time for you today, no matter how busy your day is. Set a timer if you have to to make sure you get the full amount of time in. It is hard at first, but it really does affect your emotional outlook for the better! The sun is shining, so I am off for a morning walk to contemplate the songbirds!