Sleepy. Don’t you love/hate it when you have a great book and you can’t put it down even though you know if you continue to read you’ll get less than the eight hours of sleep you need to function but you just…can’t…stop? (I won’t say what book it is, because it certainly isn’t Dostoevsky (ha, I had to look up on google just how to spell that) or even Stephen King, for that matter.) Anyway, that’s what happened to me last night and so I am somewhat tired this morning.

But it doesn’t matter because today is exciting! Monica (my cousin) and I are having lunch at a fancy restaurant for my birthday and then after work I’m going to Baton Rouge to see my mom. (Look how much I like my family!) And then tomorrow we’re going to look at the dress in Covington. Can’t wait to see it again.

Not sure what the plans for this weekend are, but as long as my friends are around, I don’t really care.

Woo hoo! New lowest weight ever! Total of 36 lbs lost! Yay! Woo hoo!

Only downside is that when I lost 1.6 more pounds, I’ll have to drop down to only 22 points a day. But we won’t dwell on that part now…

Okay for really really real this time! I went to Covington this afternoon to hang out with Maura (heh heh, I have found yet another victim to slowly torture by making them watch me try on dress after dress after dress…) which was great NOT ONLY because she was kind and patient enough to watch me try on many white poofy dresses. Also we went to this really great tea room and had tea and scones and lemon curd and clotted cream yummmmy! And I got George some Crunchie bars. I hope he shares.

Anyway, off the subject…I found the dreamiest, most beautiful dress ever in the whole world! It will be mine! Oh yes, it will be mine! Even if I have to have a big garage sale and/or sell Stinky! I must have this dress! It’s v beautiful. Real silk. Anyway, the price isn’t too bad, just a touch out of my budget, so will have to think of ways to make a few bucks.

Ohhh, dreamy dress! I will be dreaming of it tonight!

Am v. pleased with weigh in today. Net holiday gain of 1 lb. Not bad at all. Someone told me the average person gains something like seven pounds over the holidays, so I’m very pleased. Of course, there’s still New Years and my birthday but those are only one day events that I can cover (at least mostly) with flex points. Fresh start time! And now that I have my iPod, I will start going to Audubon Park after work to run.

Last night George and I saw the Lemony Snicket movie. I liked it. I never read the books. I should have, though, since I worked in the children’s department of B&N while they were very popular. I think I started to read one once. Nevermind, I just would’ve been disappointed if I’d read the books first. You know how it goes.

One day this week I’m going to go to Covington to hang out with my friend Maura and have tea at some British tea place that just opened over there. That will be fun. I haven’t seen her in about six months, I think.

Ren – am still working on Blankie! Haven’t forgotten! Blame the iPod! Oh, don’t tell Alison!

Guess what I’m doing right now? Yes indeed, I am importing songs onto my brand-spanking-new iPod! I have an iPod, yay yay yay! I was v lucky yesterday. While in Baton Rouge (went to try on dresses, but that’s another story) I stopped at Target just to see if they had any (I was very doubtful, but I figured I should at least try) and voila! Someone had returned theirs earlier (unopened) so it is now mine, all mine! Of course, we don’t have any computers at home that are able to hook it up to, so I have been putting songs on it while at work. Just while I’m working, of course.

Dress shopping with Tee was fun yesterday. Except that I found two more dresses I’m torn about. Sigh. This is hard!

Christmas v. merry. Got lots of good presents. It snowed. Except for 3 hour drive to Baton Rouge and 2.5 hour drive back home, the day was wonderful. Got a nice leather chair to replace uncomfy wooden chair to sit in while working at computer. Also a new purse, necklaces and earrings and a saltcellar from altonbrown.com (love his show.) Saw my family (Hi Family! I know you’re reading this!) and also George’s. Was a long day, but a nice one.

Today I went in search of a 20GB iPod, but alas, there is not one to be found in all of New Orleans. Admittedly, I only looked at Best Buy. Have placed an order for one from Amazon, but they’re saying it could be over a month! Ha. As if I am that patient. But we’ll see what happens. Also I read the DaVinci Code and helped George paint.

Tomorrow I will go to Baton Rouge again (now that roads are not icy and interstates have re-opened, trip should not take so long) to hang out with Teresa and yes, try on dresses. Yay! My new favorite hobby.

Merry Christmas Eve! Yay, Christmas Eve! That means Christmas is tomorrow! Yay! I love Christmas being tomorrow!

Last night was fun with Amy and Van. I am no longer tongue-tied idiot around them, so will feel more comfortable in the future asking one of them to sing song in manner of older blind black man. (And song as requested by future m-i-l, who is as lovely as you could possibly hope in a future m-i-l. I hope my sister’s m-i-l isn’t reading this because she is frankly kind of frightening. Nice, but scary.)

And today I am going to relax and get a manicure (as will be showing off ring to family tomorrow, must have lovely fingers) and finish up some shopping (stocking stuffers) and wrapping and things like that. Am going to give baby Isabella her present (faux cell-phone so she can emulate her parents.) It’s going to be a very nice day!

They’re saying it might snow at some point. As much as I love the idea (and I really love the idea) I hope it doesn’t, as this would destroy plans for drive to Baton Rouge tomorrow to show off ring as mentioned above. I live to show off the ring! Is v gorgeous, can barely believe the level of dreamy sparkliness of it all. (And see, must keep full attention on the road tomorrow if it’s icy, and ice on finger might distract – could be very dangerous.)

Now I’m babbling nonsense and so will go before I start talking about breakfast cereal. (That one’s for you, Renny!)

Well, it seems I am some sort of genius in the field of baby-blankie making. For my friend Ren’s little girl, I made this brightly colored blankie with a yellow panel, a lime green panel, and a blue panel with hot pink trim. This puppy is eye-searingly bright. And apparently Alison loves it and won’t part with it. (So now Ren has requested a second blankie so she can wash first one. I don’t know how well this will work for her, but we’ll see.)

So I’m going to make her a smaller one (her portable blankie) to supplement the first one. And Ren said that she was told that some other mom at the daycare loved Alison’s blankie. That’s exciting. And I made a similar one for my cousin Max and he (pretends to, at least, in my presence, but then he’s only 18 months old, maybe he really means it?) loves it too. Sleeps with it, etc. When I babysat him the other night, he snuggled against my shoulder, rubbing the blankie against his face. Heart-melting, that was.

Today’s the work Christmas party. Really a mass by the archbishop (I’m turning into such a good Catholic!) and then lunch, but it’s better than nothing. After that we get to go home! (I hope. I promised Polly I’d take her to the airport.) I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself tomorrow, it’s so exciting to have a whole day off! Maybe I’ll read the new Martha Stewart Weddings issue I got last night at Target. Or the book I got at the library. Or perhaps I should finish wrapping presents. Oooh, I love Christmas!

Tonight we’re going to have sushi and then go see a band with the couple from the band that’s playing at our wedding. (Did that make sense?) George works with Amy, and she and her husband an another guy make up the band. And they are going to play at our wedding. It was on the way to their post-wedding party that George proposed. And in fact our wedding is on their first anniversary. (And they’re still going to play. I love them.) I have to admit I’m a little nervous about tonight. I get all star-struck and tongue-tied around them. I’m a doofus. But it’s good, after tonight I will know them better and I won’t feel bad asking them to learn “You are the sunshine of my life” for our wedding. Who’s going to be Stevie??