One should always expect a little
backseat bartering when young men unwrap new packages of baseball
cards…always!

This Christmas I discovered that while one man in my life considered me LARGE in size, another considered me EXTRA SMALL. Neither is the case.

Of course, I was flattered by the latter. More than the obvious reason, I also got some really sweet yoga attire from a very sweet store. And even though I wasn’t able to exchange it for exactly the same clothing, I was able to find a cute little ditty to outfit my quest for a healthier, more flexible body AND I got a great excuse to spend quality time with my girlfriends.

With another year of life as well (as another season of holiday treats) behind me, I’m feeling a little heavier, slower, and weaker. I’m telling myself that it’s just a matter of time before I give those extra pounds the ol’ 1-2 punch and access my inner bionic woman.

Someone was insistent that I needed to have one candle for every year of my life-to-date. If you count ’em you’ll find that there are 45 brightly colored candles here. I kept waiting for the smoke detector to go off.

I must admit, it was kind of awesome to see my life signified like this. I’d never really thought of the candles in this way before. So, I was both awe struck and left breathless when the men in my life stood around urging me to hurry up and blow them all out before the melting candle wax ruined the cake.

I hadn’t even made my wish when I gasped for air and found none. I was left with just enough to blow out 1/3 of the candles before my nervous giggle of childhood over took the moment. But YaYa, who I believe was seriously concerned that the house might catch fire, promptly breathed in the little air the fire was not using and blew out the remaining candles.

I’m hoping that the unwished wish will still come true — whatever it was.

It was a long night for Santa Claus. He’s tired and his suit needs cleaning. He wants you all to know that even though he is now the one nestled all snug in his bed, he’s still watching. He’ll know if you are naughty or nice. So please, be nice.