Forties

The day has been sandwiched between breakfast and a dinner to celebrate two different ladies' fortieth birthdays. I met up with Lisa for a celebratory Birthday breakfast (that was also our regularly scheduled Poland-planning breakfast meeting) as soon as the kiddies were all out the door. (We are now only two weeks from our departure!) I had a gift for Lisa thanks to Shelley's genius (Shelley remembered exactly where Lisa liked to get her nails done.).
The night before our breakfast, I made a flying trip over to said nail salon with Lisa on the phone. (Yes, I was driving while taking on the phone. I assure you it is safer than when I am driving and talking to my kids.) I pull into a parking space at 7:35 only to see the sign on the door stating that the salon closes at 7:30 on weeknights. Argh! I get off the phone with Lisa and make a dash for the salon.
Before the nice fellow inside can say, "We're closed.", I blurt out that I only want a gift certificate with a series of "Oh, please, please, please" attached on both ends. The man grins, laughs, and pulls out his gift certificate book. Whew! I pay the nice man, return to the car, and realize that I cannot keep Lisa's gift a surprise if I explain my abrupt exit from an otherwise pleasant conversation. Hmmm.
I call Lisa back as I head out of the parking lot toward home. I then proceed to tell her how clueless I am about beauty professionals. We have a great laugh at my expense because I have been out chasing after a gift certificate for a friend who is turning forty with a surprise party the following night. (I had been, too. The lady just wasn't going to be available for me to pick that gift certificate up until the following day.) Lisa is cracking up as I explain what I think hair and nail services cost in the earliest moments of my gift search. I am thinking I will ask for a gift certificate for a specific service only to discover that service is far more valuable than I thought. The hair lady danced a nifty little jig to avoid hurting my feelings while trying to educate me on these matters. I was impressed that the words "naive" and "cheap" never once left her mouth.

You may be wondering about Lisa's gift certificate, but Lisa didn't have a clue because she had the benefit of the extended version of the above commentary. Needless to say, Lisa was both surprised and pleased to see the certificate entitling her to a little pampering at her favorite salon. We had a great breakfast, still are not clear on our Poland plans, and Lisa has a special treat to look forward to later. What's not to love?
This afternoon, following Lisa's breakfast, I made a run to the hair salon favored by the other gal turning forty. The hair lady was not going to be in the shop until 3:00, and the salon was fully thirty minutes away. I raced back home because Don and I needed to drop Katie off for guitar at 5:00 and head on to the Surprise party that started at 5:30. Don ran through the shower while I slapped on some make-up and change my shirt. We hopped in the car with Katie to head off to celebrate the second fortieth birthday of May Day.