kiwords

I forgot to mention how touched I was by y'all's happy birthday wishes. Well done, people! Especially Heather, who was first and remembered all on her own. Am impressed. And yes, you caught me. On Friday, as this part of the earth turned its face back toward the sun, I turned 38.

I didn't mention my birthday because it seems like a fairly unimportant event this year, what with the impending baby (whom I'm suspecting will be the world's first child to live out the many years of her life in utero - an arrangement that will only become more uncomfortable when she's 13 and can't stand me). Despite my blase attitude about it, friends and family really came through, leaving me feeling entirely blissed-out and spoiled. I am loved. It's almost enough to convince me that the whole "you're gorgeous and glowing" theory of pregnancy isn't so much revisionist claptrap, and that I'm not actually a hideous lumbering troll.

Of course, THAT can't be permitted, and so yesterday I waddled into Sephira for my birthday gift. Now, I love Sephora. Despite concerted efforts to improve my mind, I remain at heart a frivolous girly-girl. I enjoy the lotions and glazes and paints and powders, I really do. And Sephora is like...a wonderland of all things girly. Just owning one of their glossy back bags makes me feel a tiny bit daintier. And they give you a GIFT on your BIRTHDAY! And this year it was LIPGLOSS!

Since I was already there, I found one of the tiny, be-smocked young women who work there, to request a sample of a skin serum I've been wanting to try (another beautiful thing about Sephora - generous, happily supplied samples). As she scooped serum into a little plastic pot for me, we chatted about it.

"I really think you'll like this. It's a great product," she assured me. I nodded and grinned, just one of the girls, chatting about skin care products. She turned and handed it to me. "I mean, my mom just LOVES it, so I'm sure it'll work for you!"

And just like that, I was shooed promptly back into my late-30s place, mere inches from my 40s and NOT one of the girls.

Oh well. It's still not a bad place to be.