The Greatest Week

I got back from LA last night and what a delight the trip was! Upon arrival we drove straight to Beverly Hills for dinner at my favorite restaurant (El Torito Grill, where my rehearsal dinner was!) to meet up with my LA besties Emily, Staci, Sara, and Courtney. I CAN NOT believe it's been almost a year since I've seen them! On Thursday I spent the day with Staci and that night my dad took me to the Broadway production of Dirty Dancing at the Pantages, which was one of my favorite movies of all time, and we had AMAZING seats and the show was the best I've ever seen. The storyline covers an abortion and the Insider Resider kicked me VERY HARD during the entire thing. I am preeeetty sure she is pro-life.

Friday I had lunch with two of my old roommates, and one of them decided to throw me an impromptu baby shower at her house in Orange County for all my OC besties!! I spent the weekend with my mom doing baby shopping and being shaken up by the 4.7 earthquake on Sunday. My mom was thoroughly amazed by how I looked. The word huge came up approximately four thousand times. She kept laughing disbelievingly and staring at me in wonder, and any time one of her friends called, she would immediately get off the phone, telling them, "I am here with VERY pregnant daughter," as though I might be going into labor in the next five minutes and she couldn't afford to tie up the phone line in case of emergency. Monday was the baby shower which was a smorgasbord of delight that included generous and amazing gifties, amazing food, cupcakes from Sprinkles, games, decorations and the lovely likes of my mom, Kathy, Carissa, Melisa, Rebekah, Julie, Melissa, Sara, and Stephanie, who all came and showered me with two days' notice. Melisa, who lives in NY, happened to be in town too so which is why she could come! I LOVE YOU ALL! I have not had that much fun in YEARS and I laughed myself sick.

On Tuesday before I left I saw my one of my best friends Angela, and the massive delight I received from reconnecting with all these friends reminded me that I need to visit more often. I am planning the next trip for when Insider is a few months old. I WILL SEE YOU ALL THEN!!!

I got some good comments while I was out and about in California. At one store, as I was walking down an aisle, a woman with three giant foam pool noodles under her arm turned around just as I was about to pass her, and thus not only blocked and took up the entire aisle, but whacked me with her three noodles.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, momentarily startled. She didn't apologize, but laughed heartily instead.

"I guess we're just alike, you and me," she chortled. "Huge and sticking out all over!"

I must have been unaware of the point that I got so big I began blocking entire aisles and crashing into people.

A few minutes later I was paying for my purchases and the checker asked, "Are you having a boy?"

"Actually a girl," I told her.

"Oh," she said, eyeing me critically. "It's not a boy?"

"No," I said. "It's a girl." I smiled to be friendly. She stared at me.

"Because it looks like a boy," she said defiantly.

"Oh. Well... okay," I said. I looked down at the round lump under my shirt. Said lump did not currently seem to resemble either boy or girl to me.

"Did you want a girl?" she asked doubtfully, like she felt very sorry for me.

"Oh, yes!" I told her. "I totally wanted a girl."

She frowned, and nodded like I was deluding myself.

"Mmmm, I see," she managed sympathetically.

My flight was delayed an hour and a half last night, but I did sit next to a girl who was also pregnant and due 6 days after me, who was fun to talk to. Seeing Dave was so wonderful and I missed him a lot and I came home to an immaculately scrubbed and gleaming house and roses waiting for me on the counter. He took wonderful care of Pixie, bought her her favorite special chewy treats which he dispensed at her whim, and held the phone to her ear every day so I could say hello. As great as my trip was (which was pretty exceptionally great) I was so happy to come home to my husband. In fact, it was the perfect trip, because I was so excited to go and then I was so excited to return. I am so refreshed!!!