May new stuff:
Week 1: I nannied for the first time in years. I used to nanny in the summer when I was in high school for the absolute greatest girls of all time. God, I love those girls. Haley, Claire and Grace are the most mature, fun-loving, smart, kind and beautiful girls I've ever met. And all through their growing up. Those girls were all those things from the time they were toddlers all the way up to now in high school--that makes me feel so old! This week I nannied for my boss's 16 year old boy and 14 year old girl. They were good kids too. I had no idea the amount of driving involved in being a parent! We were back and forth between softball games and letting dogs out and working and eating and going to school for 4 days and 400 miles on my car. Nuts.
Week 2: Oh, baby, this was a good week. I went to a yoga/writing retreat at a state park. I wrote 2 decent personal essays in one day laying out in the sun in the "forest". I also went to Council Bluffs to see Ironman 3 in their newly remodeled theater. One word: recliners. When my friend told me we had to go there so we could sit in the recliners, I was like yeah, ok, whatever, I have no problem going to Counciltucky to the theater. I've been there many times because it's closer than most Omaha theaters to me. It's nice. Oh, I had no idea. You hit a button on the side of your recliner and there's a foot rest that comes up. And the head rest goes back. It's a lazy boy. You get to watch a movie in a lazy boy and 2 of me could have fit in my 1 chair. And everyone has their own arm rests. Annnnd if you had a hot date, you could flip up the arm rest between you and basically have a reclining love seat. Needless to say I was blown away and my movie watching experience will never be the same. I also played Mario Cart for the first time. Old school Nintendo Mario is more my speed. My thumb is double jointed so I fail at little joystick business. That's my excuse at least. I placed 2nd out of the three of us multiple times though. Score. My wonderful friend Kim and I went out dancing and she looked phenomenal in white jeans and sparkles--like she was ready for a rock concert--and I wore a simple floral dress but we got complimented right and left. It's never happened that multiple people would rave about how cute we are. And to their friends. We decided we must have been oozing girls' night confidence for extra spring in our step.
Week 3: Kim and I watched the Perks of Being a Wallflower. Watch it. So fabulous. I had a race this weekend. My first time doing the Kansas 5150 tri. And my first time having absolutely horrid weather for a race. It was storming and lightning and we waited outside in the rain for an hour before they canceled the swim and then had us just bike/run. I hadn't riden my bike outside more than just commuting to work and I hadn't run in the hot more than 3 times or so because the weather has been so cold. When the rain stopped it was like 85 and 90% humidity. I was not acclimated. I went down with my friends Molly and Cade and we met their friends Erin and Polly. I'm so lucky about the people I meet. I love these guys. Molly and Cade swim and play soccer with me and they are one of those couples that are so perfect that they almost make you want to puke, but they are so wonderful and sweet and cute together you just love them for it. Anyway, I love how there are some people that you can meet and automatically feel a part of their group. Molly and Cade helped me feel that way with their friends. We stayed in a cabin Saturday night, the race was Sunday, and by the end Saturday we were all laying in bed talking like we'd been friends forever. The next day at the race, I saw Polly walking up the nasty-ass hill on the run and I came up behind her and linked arms with her and told her we wouldn't walk and we'd make it up there together. Well, we runners know that poops on race day are always an issue. She told me she had to take a crap. I told her I had to pee like a mother but we'd make it up the hill. There was a guy behind us laughing his ass off. But, damn-it, we made it up that hill. Arms linked the whole way through, we told each other we loved each other at the top and finished the race separate. I don't know if I would've made it up without her. It's so cool how common suffering brings people together.
Week 4: I got pooped on by a bird. I was laying out at the lake on the dock and a bird pooped on me. I was a little put off but then I realized I've gone almost 25 years without being pooped on by a bird and that's pretty good. My workout friends (they are more than just my workout friends, they are some of my besties) and I went on the Taco Ride together. I've done it before but it was my first time with them. My friend Jaclyn wiped out because she was clipped in and fell on a super cute guy and then got doctored up by a cute sheriff. She was super embarrassed but both of those dudes would have bent over backwards to save her. Not that I think we should act like damsels in distress for attention. But it worked. Probably because Jaclyn is gorgeous!!

Week 5: My girlfriends Kim, Elisa and I went out dancing in downtown Omaha and at the end of the night Kim and I were walking Elisa home and a couple blocks behind us, where we'd been maybe 2 minutes before, we heard gunshots, screams and saw 3 cars speed away. Not a good first time thing. My good first time things for this week was trying Dixie Quicks a breakfast place that was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I've lived here for 6 years and wanted to go. Oh, baby, it was worth the wait.