“If you can’t be in the lead, give yourself enough time to react to what’s in front of you.”
“Being impatient won’t get you to your destination any more quickly.”
“We’re all on our way to the same place; some of us just have to be a little more cautious.”
“The scenic route may take …a bit longer, but in the end it’s so worth it.”
“Take advantage of the smooth, downhill, wind-free situations. You may need the momentum for an upcoming hill.”
“Enjoy the shade when you can; always being in the sunlight can get you burned.”

Today I was behind a trash truck. Not the kind the city drives, the kind a private company drives where it’s just a pick-up truck with high sides and the bags of trash just stacked on top of each other. And I swear there was nothing holding the bags of trash from falling off the back of the truck. Needless to say, I didn’t get close enough to find out, but still managed to get a good whiff here and there.

I tried to come up with a life lesson for that one. Like, “When you know you’re in danger of being shit on, stay far enough away from the source that you have time to avoid it” or “Would you rather be the bag on the top of the pile…in danger of falling off, but above everyone else’s garbage, or the one on the bottom…secure, but covered in other people’s garbage?”. There’s something in there somewhere.

Last Friday (the 12th), I got to go see the Black Eyed Peas in concert at the Sommet Center. Now, that was a freakin blast. My good friend Leslie arranged for a limo to take us (she and I, and a few girls from her office) downtown; it’s always fun to ride in style. Opening acts were LMFAO and Ludacris. That may sound like an odd combination, but it was a great way to kick off the night. I was surprised at how many songs I knew by both groups. Well, and then the BEPs came out and it was all over. Damn they know how to put on a good show. Fergie was amazing; I kept saying “Its really her, its really her”. Haha. will.i.am rocked it out and I heard he DJ’d later at one of the clubs downtown. We just limo-ed it to Whiskey Kitchen for a drink or two after the show. Overall, it was a spectacular night and a great extension of my birthday (as the ticket was a bday present from Leslie).

Speaking of my birthday, I have to say it has got to be one of my best birthdays ever (my Sweet 16 on a boat was pretty sweet). On my actual birthday, a small group of friends and I enjoyed a delicious, relaxing meal at Flyte and ended the night at Mafiaoza’s for an additional cocktail. I took it easy on Thursday in order to prepare for Friday, which was the main event! Another good friend, Kristin, used her inside connections to secure us two King Suites at the Hutton Hotel and arranged for 12 of my girlfriends to party on the town and then crash at the hotel. We started out with tipsy madlibs and then got all dolled up in the suite before calling up our favorite taxi driver, who just happened to be driving his limo that night (same one as above). So we all piled in to the limo to go three blocks to midtown where we partied it up at Broadway Brewhouse and Hollywood Disco. Afterwords, we headed to Broadway and danced our hearts out at Decades. Altogether I think we danced for about three hours.

And my feet were not happy with me the next day. The next week really. I guess wearing heels that are slightly too small and constrict your toes is not a great idea. From the ball of my foot to the tip of my toes, I had a tingling sensation, like when they get super cold, for 8 days. I had them checked out and found out it could last for weeks, but luckily I recovered quickly. I will, however, use that as a lesson and not subject my feet to such torture ever again. Here’s to good intentions.

This weekend I’m participating in a Habitat for Humanity home build with my co-workers. I’ve never done one before (and now realize how difficult it is to arrange/sponsor a build) so I’m pretty excited. I’m just hoping for somewhat nice weather, as the build will happen no matter what. I’ll try to get some pictures posted afterwords!

The first moments I can remember didn’t explain a whole lot but I knew I had just given birth to someone else’s baby. As in, I was a surrogate and had successfully delivered their baby. I don’t remember any particular emotions tied to that, except being relieved everything went okay. I really wasn’t even surprised at that part when I was recollecting the dream this morning. I have long felt it may be part of my life journey to someday somehow be a surrogate.

But that’s not the weird part at all. Immediately after that, it was discovered there was a second baby no one knew about. It just kind of fell out into my hands and was small and flimsy, but not frail or fragile. Obviously, there’s very little reality to this situation, but it felt very real and believable.

I brought the infant closer to me and saw it wasn’t breathing. Well you know how sometimes they have to get the gunk out of the nose? I can only guess that’s where this next part came from. The child wasn’t breathing because there was a clothespin-like contraption clamped on its nose. Oh, and it was at this point I also noticed it was a boy. The clothespin was really more like silver tweezers and when I went to remove it, it made a little scratch on the baby’s face. It didn’t cry and I didn’t freak out, I just remember thinking “Oh, I’ve already hurt him!”

But he was fine and I proceeded to start breastfeeding him, which is when my mom said “Good job, hunny”. The last thing I remember was switching sides for him to breastfeed with more congratulatory remarks from my mom.

Yeah.

I’m sure Freud would have plenty of things to say about this one. It was just so amazingly vivid and it left me with an overwhelming feeling of joy and peace. So, who knows what it means. I can’t help but think it is in some way related to the fact I turn 30 tomorrow….but it seems like a good omen, if any at all.

There was that trip to Alaska though, about which I don’t think I ever finished the draft I started. To summarize, my mom, brother and I went on an Alaskan cruise thanks to my mom and it was one of the most relaxing vacations I’ve ever had. Usually vacations leave me more tired than when I left for them, but I truly felt refreshed after a week at sea. I am very grateful to my friends with boats who conditioned my body to the motion of the ocean, seeing how other people had a visibly difficult time dealing with it. It really didn’t bother me one bit. Highlights of the trip include: watching a black bear fish for salmon less than 20 ft away, marveling at the salmon as they struggle to swim upstream, getting tipsy at a gourmet cooking class, and almost winning the karaoke contest. That last one is a funny story, but I’ve probably already told most of you. Anyway, the endless supply of food was the downturn in my summer fitness regimen, but the on-board gym at least made me feel better about it. I had a great time with my family and I’m so glad we got to do it together.

Before the trip, I was told I’d either love cruising or hate it. I have to say I really did enjoy it…definitely something I would do again. But maybe to a tropical location next time, so I can actually enjoy the outdoor pools.

The holidays are fast approaching and we are mixing it up this year. For Thanksgiving, I’m going to N. Carolina to celebrate with my brother and his girlfriend. Then for Christmas, everyone is coming to Nashville!! It will be the first year ever that we’ve not had Christmas at home in Cali, so I’m honored to be hosting it at my place! Should be a grand ole time. :)

Friday night I attended the “Taste of Nashville” with my friends Kristin and Emily, along with hundreds of other people. After a quick pre-party at Mafiaoza’s, we cabbed it down to the Cannery Ballroom, aka Mercy Lounge, to join the crowd. I managed to score a free ticket (thanks Kristin!), so I ate and drank to my heart’s content. We even got seats in the VIP section, which were large white fabric couches, not necessarily the smartest choice for a food/wine event. I did manage to snap a shot of the wine stain that appeared on the couch nearby.

Said eating and drinking made volunteering early Saturday morning quite a painful task at first. Kristin, Kerry, Terry and a few others teamed up with Hands on Nashville to paint the interior hallways of Thomas A Edison Elementary in Antioch. Terry’s son attends school there and she also works in the administration office, so it was very nice to be able to volunteer at a location where friends spend most of their waking hours! After a few hours of painting and cleaning (and we would’ve been mulching if it hadn’t poured down rain the whole time), we headed back to Limelight where HON hosted a buffet lunch from Whole Foods and live entertainment. I lasted about 30 minutes before begging to go home for a nap and Kerry graciously obliged.

After a quick snooze on the couch, I readied myself for (another) night of fun and festivities, this time at an 80′s Anniversary Party for my friends Stacey and Rickey. I met them about a year ago and have celebrated the 4th of July as well as other holidays with them and their kids. Their 18th wedding anniversary party was no disappointment either, blazing the 80′s rock, fun outfits and plenty of food. The after-party landed us at the USA Sports Grill for karaoke. I managed to stick it out long enough to sing my signature song and then headed home to crash.

Sunday morning marked the beginning of the fall soccer season and the AC Rhinos pulled off a win of 3-2 against the Flying Saucer team. I was surprised I remembered how to play after a season resting my knee, but I think I did alright. Immediately afterwords, I joined up with Emily and friends for a birthday brunch at Bosco‘s where we thoroughly confused our waiter with some coupons, but still had a delightful lunch…which was simply a pre-cursor to the night’s festivities ahead. As it was Em’s birthday, we celebrated not just with a girl’s brunch, but also with pizza and drinks at her place, then more food and drink at Mafs. Good times were had by all.

So, see? I’m not that lazy.

Next door to the liquor store is a new arrival to not only Belle Meade, but Nashville as a whole. As far as I know it is the first of it’s kind. Sweet CeCe’s is a self-serve frozen yogurt buffet, if you will. Those of you who know me know that I have a huge weakness for frozen yogurt, and I’d kinda been putting it off visiting the store because I knew I’d be hooked. Well, yesterday I tried it and I know I’ll be back. All of the flavors are made there in the store and are fat-free…except for the peanut butter, of course. However, I have to say that the peanut butter yogurt is probably the best of it’s kind that I’ve ever tasted. Usually PB yogurt has a slight coffee taste, but this one was all PB. It is still low-fat, but just not fat-free. There are a plethora of toppings, including all the standards plus gummy worms, golden grahams, and sour ropes. I’m not exactly sure how one has a sour rope as a topping to eat with their dessert, but I may try it myself next time. I settled for the Country Vanilla and rainbow sprinkles and was very pleased. The vanilla was creamy, which is sometimes not the case with fat-free yogurts, and not bitter at all. The staff was very friendly and welcoming, meeting me as I walked in and offering up samples to help me decide. I will definitely be back!

The hair salon I mentioned last time is actually a barbershop, Uncle Classic Barbershop to be more specific. It is a small shop, but since their main focus is men’s hair cuts, shoe shines, and straight razor shaves, I suspect they don’t need as much room as a full-service salon.

Last in this edition is the scoop about the new Harris Teeter. They had their grand opening yesterday, and, being a frequent HT customer and just curious to find out, I went for a shopping trip (after getting my CeCe’s yogurt). The first impression as you drive in is not a great one. Everyone is directed to an underground parking lot on an immediate downward slope (can you say “runaway carts”???). It’s a spacious garage, but still a garage. I recommend making the first turn and then parking at the far end of the straight away. There are elevators that go back up to the street level just outside the store, but also an escalator that goes right into the store. The escalator makes a great impression and made me forget about the parking lot. The store is bi-level, as I suspected it might be, and I did not venture up to see what was on the 2nd floor. Although, it looks like there is some sort of cafe in addition to the beauty products, cards, and pharmacy. The store itself is quite impressive. The aisles are nice and wide, the produce department seemed to have every variety of pepper, and the number of organic/health food options was almost overwhelming. Every product had the organic version (if it exists) right along with the “regular” kind…which is great, and probably getting more common, but it was definitely noticeable. Because I’m a VIC card holder, I got a promotion in the mail for $20 off a $50 purchase and there’s one for each of the next four weeks. Um, yeah. Saving $20 on a $50 bill, which is easy for me to rack up, is a deal I will not pass up. If it means I’m stocking my shelves for winter, I’ll still use them.

Happy shopping, fellow Belle Meadeans!
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Edited 7/27/09 – I stand corrected. CeCe’s is not the first of its kind in Nashville. There has actually been another self-serve yogurt shop near Vanderbilt for quite some time called Yogurt Oasis. And they even have fat-free peanut butter yogurt…although it doesn’t really taste like peanut butter, which, I find, is pretty common about most peanut butter yogurts. Anyhoo…