Nicole Tasker Woods

If I wasn’t already married and were picking a significant date for my wedding, I might chose January 31, 2013 (1/31/13). How could your new husband ever forget it? You know how everyone got married last month on December 12 so their special day was 12/12/12 – that was the last really significant date we’ll ever have because the months number no higher than 12.

But now that one month is down, we have 11 left to go in this unlucky year of 2013. Next year has a much sweeter ring to it: 2014. I like that way better!

This morning, as I mentioned in Not Very Pleasant, I had stitches removed from my leg.

While the doctor was in awe of the incision (it was done by a plastic surgeon, should I expect any less?) she told me after the stitches were out that the scar had not completely healed. She said that I was young with beautiful legs (duh), so I should take it easy on the walking, stairs, exercising for another week.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

I waited 8 days after the procedure last Monday when the doctor told me I only needed to take a break for 4-5 days. I thought – give it a few extra days to heal, can’t hurt right? Now I find out that it wasn’t long enough and have to wait another week. I can feel myself getting fatter as I tell you this ridiculous story.

Exercising is not my issue, it’s the food. I love food. All I want to do is eat – and eat badly – but exercising makes me feel hungry so I pig out a little here and there and you know what? I don’t feel guilty. Because at lunchtime, I forgo the fast food to sweat it out with my co-workers for 30 minutes. Shouldn’t I get to enjoy a couple york peppermint patties???

I had a very minor procedure done on my leg last week to remove more of a skin abnormality for the dermatology specialists to take a closer look at. I go to the dermatologist every 6 months and they poke and prod my skin at each visit. One time, they removed 12 things–not very pleasant!

Well, the thing on my leg was just a freckle – they all are freckles, I never have had moles – and sometimes they look dark or feel rough and then the dermatologist will numb it, remove it and test it. The leg freckle had been biopsied and they said they needed to take more off in order to have a good reading. So they went in last week, hacked me up and gave me 5 stitches. Not very pleasant.

I had to take the week off from exercising, which is something I never have trouble doing. While I like working out and I like seeing the results of sweating it out on my lunch break, I do enjoy avoiding the speed walk to the gym, speed changing of my clothes, speed work out, speed shower, speed dress, then speed walk back to the office.

Well, this morning I finally get the stitches out of my leg and I’m so excited! I know it was only a few of them, but it was still unsightly and it’s not like they are soft or anything. They are stiff and black – like spider legs – I will be glad to have them gone!

You’re sick & don’t feel like yourself – I’m sorry.

I wish I could make you feel better.

I want to hold you close and feel your heart beat.

I want to curl up with you on the couch and rub your back.

I want to feel your soft hair on my face as you drift off to sleep.

I want the warmth and weight of you in my arms.

I wish I could be with you right now, but I will be there soon.

I love you baby.

XOXOX

Mommy

After having a massage membership at Massage Heights for the past two years, I finally decided to cancel.

You would think one would enjoy a monthly massage, but I found that once I missed one massage, a snowball effect took place. One massage turned into two, which turned into six – and now I have to pay an extra $49.99 per month in order to keep those pre-paid massages on my account. Ryan paid for my membership in full at the beginning of each year, so it turned into the Christmas gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. I loved it when I was pregnant because my back needed some extra time and attention. But now that the Big A is in my life, my Saturdays (the only day I usually have available for massages) is now spent with him. And you might say, “You can’t make time for a 1-hour massage?” It actually takes two hours out of my day. One hour for the massage and then another hour when you factor in the transportation, showering at home and getting all cleaned up after an oily rub-down.

I got a call from Massage Heights last week to tell me the credit card on my file had expired. I was confused – why did they need a credit card on file? My massages were all paid in full at the beginning of the year. They asked if I wanted to cancel my membership and I was still confused. Why would I have to cancel? Apparently, after the year on your membership is up, your account defaults to bill you the monthly rate of $49.99. This is in fact a good deal because non-membership pricing gives you a 1-hour massage for $99.99 – but it’s just not something I find value in any longer.

So I confirmed that yes, I wanted to cancel my membership. What does that mean for my six pre-paid massages? If I don’t use them in the next 30 days, they go away – POOF!

I was livid. “Are you kidding me?!” I exclaimed. I know I shouldn’t take it out on them, but seriously – that’s just absurd. I refuse to watch that money go down the drain, so I am combining my six massages into three 2-hour sessions and booked the next three Saturdays. I’ll end up using them all just under the 30-day mark.

So my advice on massage memberships is this: if you are a baller, can afford to pay for it monthly, and find time for the 1-2 hour escape each month from your every day life – by all means, sign up.

Ryan & I are headed to the Staples Center tonight to see the Lakers play – and we’ll be sitting in my company’s box suite, woot woot!

My boss gave us tickets for my birthday and you know how much I love a night out on the town!  After dinner at Fleming’s last night, it’s nice to change the pace and go to a sporting event – especially one with fabulous seats where the food and drinks are comped.

Ryan’s a huge Laker fan so when I told him about the tickets, he was stoked. After I get off work, I’m going to swing by Ryan’s work (which is only 3 miles from my office) and pick him up so we can head into downtown together.

Yay!

Even though I live 3,000 miles away from my mother, she still asks that I text her whenever I travel just to let her know I got to my destination safely. It seems silly when I say it out loud, but I understand why she wants to know and I’m glad she cares about me and my safety.

I asked the same thing of her before she left for Aruba and it took her 96 hours to drop me a line.

Nice mom.

Aidan is not the best at eating in restaurants. You would think a little guy like him would enjoy being out and about with adults, eating big boy food and (usually) watching TV because we are in some kind of sports bar & grill.

But sometimes he can be a real terror.

• I order his food when we order our drinks so he can get a head start on making a disaster of his chair and the floor beneath it.
• I let him try new foods only to watch him spit it out.
• He does the table-sweep with both arms and utensils go flying.
• He will let out a steady, semi-loud noise with mouth open and eyes closed – not so much that it’s a yell, but just enough to annoy neighboring tables.

As a method of distraction, I slowly transition from toys, cars, trucks, buses – to books – to the iPad. I try to wait as long as possible to break out the iPad because even with that his attention span is quite short. I’ll usually wait until my food comes so that there is new-ness with the device and it buys me time to wolf down my food.

I’ve made the mistake early on of letting him have a sip of my water from the straw. He’s a cool customer for the first sip, leading you down the path to thinking you can look away and let him enjoy holding the cup on his own. Then he decides to throw the straw away and take a big boy sip with ice crashing all over his face.

I may have let him have a couple sips of my caffeine-free diet coke. The look on his face was priceless. Not only was he a fan of the sugary sweet taste, but the bubbles made him laugh so hard.

As far as I’m concerned, he can do whatever he wants as long as he sits still!

My parents have started retreating to Aruba during the last two weeks of January. And you know what, they should. They don’t have any more kids living at the house with them (just a crazy puppy named Riley) and who wouldn’t want to escape the cold once a year? I love Aruba – or any beach vacation – that is my favorite thing to do…

• wake up
• throw on a bathing suit
• lie by the pool
• nap
• swim
• eat
• drink
• lie by the ocean
• nap
• swim
• eat
• drink

That’s my idea of a good time.

Ryan hates a beach vacation, so it’s going to be hard to convince him that our next destination (or any destination for that matter) is sea-side. He prefers to vaca in Europe, staying somewhere that’s near to (or in the heart of) a city. Don’t get me wrong, I love European vacations. You won’t catch me complaining about that. But a week in Hawaii wouldn’t be bad either.

Aidan is almost 19 months old and he still hasn’t been to the beach – isn’t that a crying shame? I will definitely have to plan an outing to the beach one day this summer. It’s so hard to do that in southern California without being accompanied by a million other people who want to do the same thing. But for the A-man, I’ll do anything!

There’s just one week left until my 31st birthday – that’s so insane! I can’t believe I’m going to be turning 31 and that 1 year ago, I was partying it up like a 21 year old in Vegas. That was some good times.

I know a lot of people who opt out of being at work on their birthdays, but I like to be showered with birthday wishes so I choose to go to work. Besides, it’s no fun when your birthday doesn’t fall on a Friday or Saturday. Any other day of the week and celebrating isn’t really an option. At least not Vegas-style!

Ryan & I have our plans all set for next Thursday night, the 24th. We are going to Fleming’s for a nice steak dinner and I’ll indulge in a glass or two of wine. We’ll definitely get dessert! I requested that they seat us in the private, quiet wine-cellar-type room – so we’ll see if that comes through.

My birthday is so close to Christmas and after getting showered with some pretty stellar stuff less than a month ago, I am never really that excited about birthday gifts. Well, not these days anyway. I was when I was younger, I mean – as a kid, who isn’t thrilled to celebrate THEIR day?! But now that I’m older and I have everything I could ever need or want, there isn’t much else I could tell you to get me when you ask what I want for my 31st birthday.

But if you are stumped, shoot me a quick text–I’m sure I can think of something 😉

My car seems to think 37 degrees calls for the ICY alert to pop up on my dash at 7am on a chilly January morning.

I’ve seen icy and 37 degrees does not mean ice.

I am more comfortable driving my car in a white out while not wearing any glasses or contacts – as opposed to driving in California in the rain with all those crazy Angelinos. It’s like their bodies turn to rubber and they can’t keep a steady foot on the pedal or their hands on the wheel. They are ALL OVER THE PLACE!

I am such a defensive driver on the driest of days that when it starts to sprinkle, I turn into a very easily offended person behind the wheel. Because, in reality, everyone’s out to get me, right?! Especially in the rain…