pretty toes and cups of jo

Hi.
How are you all?
I'm pretty good, thanks.

I've had a super busy couple of weeks with the return of my husband immediately followed by my mom and stepdad and stepbrother coming out from California to visit. We've been having a great time and thus I've been too pleasantly distracted to do much in the way of creative pursuits. Which is fine by me. Sometimes I feel like I do so many crafty things because there's not much else to do, so it's nice to have much else to do.

Presently I'm enjoying a nice midday cup of coffee and staring at my pretty, bright fuchsia toes. Today I had to go up to my church for music practice, and when I arrived sans children (thanks to my mom taking them out for the day) my friends were astonished. Sometimes I forget what it's like to be without my kids, and I realized while talking to these ladies that I haven't been without at least one of them for years. I mean unless you count an anniversary overnighter but then I was still with my husband. I'm never really alone alone, y'know?

"Oh man, you should take advantage of that!" my friend said. "Go get your nails done or something, take your sweet time getting back!"

I laughed at that, but she was pretty serious. She handed me some cash, told me to go to a certain place and ask for a pedicure and a massage. "My treat!" she said. I didn't argue. I went to said hole-in-the-wall, and when I walked in a small, older Asian lady trotted over to me expectantly.

"What you want?" she asked.

"My friend sent me here for a pedicure and massage," I responded, feeling slightly moronic and out of my element. She looked up at me and eyed my face critically.

"And I do eyebrow too?" she asked, as though it weren't really a question at all but a fact. "Only eight dollar more. I do pedicure less. Thirty dollar all together."

I mused. I pondered. I've never had my eyebrows done before. Why not? I thought. It's only eight dollar more. I agreed and was led into a back room and summarily pushed onto a table.

"I've never done this before," I stated lamely, and she gave me that flat look that said, "Of course you haven't. Just look at those things." A little hot wax and ripping later, and she held up a mirror for me to see.

"Look now! You look like movie star now, no?"

Maybe a movie star who's seen better days and smaller pants sizes, I thought. But I just smiled and nodded.

Then came the pedicure/massage thingy, which was awesome and relaxing and I could kiss my friend for making me go because really, I think there are definite times when a person (especially a mom) just needs a little time alone. Even if it's only for an hour or so. And then, when you come home to a quiet, empty house, you can spend a minute or two reveling in the silence before you start to feel a little lonely. You start to miss the noise, start to look around for the little signs of life that mean your kids are nearby--spilled cups of water, the random sock in the middle of the floor, the bathroom light left on for the umpteenth time. And then when they finally come home you can hug them and tell them you missed them and really mean it. Even if they were only away for an hour or so.

But in the meantime, you can drink your coffee in quiet and smile at your pretty toes.