Girls' Day Out

So yesterday was my last day of work for a while, which is such a bittersweet occasion being that I love (some) of the people I work with and (most) of the work I do, but I also love napping in the middle of the day, laying out by the pool and, well, not working. So me, Leah, and two of the aforementioned people that I will miss desperately - Katie and Adela - decided to celebrate and mourn my last day by going to lunch and having our nails done.

We ate at Marketplace Express - a meal that wouldn't have been complete without indulging in a dee-vine Chocolate Mess (a glass dipped in fudge and filled with vanilla ice cream, topped with massive amounts of whipped cream and nuts - hubba-hubba).

After stuffing ourselves, we headed to the mall (or more accurately, the Pinnacle Hills Promenade "lifestyle center") to get our nails done. We each climbed aboard our designated pedicure chair, complete with remote-controlled massage capabilities that Katie seemed to enjoy a little more than the rest of us. Her enjoyment, for some reason, left us highly amused.

We were also highly amused by the toilet they had in this place. This multi-functional commode was a toilet-and-bidet-in-one, providing personal hygiene-related services such as a "front wash" and a "rear wash" that could be used in either "soft" or "strong" mode. Now you can't have your rear washed without having it dried too, so a drying feature was also an option. Oh, and if the massaging pedicure chairs didn't suit your fancy, you could have your fancy massaged by this talented toilet seat. Other than the seat warmer, I didn't really have time to experience each of these features personally, but have plans to return in the future and give them a whirl (pun intended).

After tinkering with the massage chairs and playing with the toilet, we finally got down to business and had our toes done. I highly recommend the Sea Spa pedicure, which includes a sea salt scrub and foot massage that was freakin' awesome. However, I pitied the poor girl that had to deal with my inflato-feet, which happened to be especially bad yesterday. I debated about whether to actually post a picture of them, but you can't really blog about getting pedicures and not reveal the end product.

Warning: What you are about to see contains graphic images that may not be suitable for anyone with functioning eyeballs or a weak gag reflex. Viewer discretion is advised.

Hopefully you all will continue to read my blog after this traumatic experience. Leah says that I have an obese lady's feet attached to normal legs, which feels true because I don't even recognize them anymore. When I can actually see them, that is.

But at least my nails look purty, as do everyone else's. It is so nice to relax and be pampered a bit - preggo or not - so I'm so glad we all decided to hang out and be pampered together.



Thanks for the fun time girls! I miss you already!!

My eventful day didn't end at the nail salon, because our friends Shara and Chad had their baby girl Kayla yesterday. We met up with the Primms and the Reeves at the clinic for a short visit. Timothy even managed to make it down from KC in time to join us, so we all got to ooh and aah over their darling little girl together.

It was quite surreal to be standing in what could possibly be the exact room that I could be giving birth in at any point over the next couple of weeks. And hearing Shara tell of her experience - which is likely to be very similar to mine - really was a reality check. Not that I am any more anxious or nervous or scared than was before. In fact, I have very few anxieties about the actual birthing process - almost too few for comfort. I guess I am approaching it with the attitude that a) it's gonna happen regardless - this baby ain't staying in here forever; b) everyone's experience is different, so to harp over someone else's issues is pointless; and c) chances are, I'll live and the baby will be happy and healthy and that is totally worth whatever it takes to get there.

Whoa, that was kinda heavy. Like the ten pounds of fried catfish and hushpuppies we consumed at the Catfish Hole after we left the clinic. How's that for a segue?