How should I celebrate my birthday? It's next week and I can't think, for the life of me, what I should be doing. My friend Rick and his girlfriend Kasey are putting together a sort of fun fall festival type thing that sounds wonderful - they're going to a green house that's offering a corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin patch picking, etc. Then the plan is to head back to their house for some cider (spiked...?), pumpkin carving, and just general fall warm and fuzzies. So I thought about doing that since it's on the day of my birthday, but then when I brought it up to Jonathan he sort of shot that down. Then on Saturday of that weekend, there's a swing dance, but there again, Jonathan never goes to swing stuff with me, my best friends from home don't really get into swing dancing, my family doesn't dance... I feel like I can't combine this part of my life with anything else and that really bums me out - and lately I'm finding myself dancing less and less just to continue to nurture all those other parts of my life that are 100% important to me.

So this is kind of a dilemma, since none of my swing dancing friends would come out with me on a night when there's a dance; none of my other non- dancer type friends would really want to go a swing dance; no one in my family really stays out past like, 10 - and I would want them all to be around for my birthday, you know? Should I just have a party with my non dancer friends on the 17th, and go to the dance on the 18th? Or should I just frickin' wing it and see what happens and who shows up? I wish it weren't football season. I mean, I could wait and throw myself a birthday party on the first of November, but do I really want to wait two weeks to celebrate? The pros for that would be that I don't know of anything dancing-related going on that weekend, so it would be easier for all the different people in my life to convene in one fell swoop, I guess. (Now watch, I'll say that and 16 people will go, "Wait! there's a workshop weekend in Albequerque!")

So.... any ideas? :)

In other news, I got to see my niece the other day. She's gettin' a lil' tooth in!!! You can barely feel it, but this kid sees ANYTHING, and in her mouth it goes. And she just looks so much like her mommy.

I bought a new pair of sneakers last night. My feet have been hurting so much after work these days, and I really am at a loss on what to do apart from seeing a podiatrist and getting custom orthotics, which I hear are expensive... So I bought some New Balances and am also going to go get some arch supports for them.

I'm dying to make over my bedroom. I want to get a new duvet set, some throw pillows, a piece of wall art, and a new dresser and night stand. I need to win the lottery.

I also have no clue what to do for Halloween this year? I've been invited to two different parties, and I fully plan to attend each one - I just don't know what to go as. Last year Jonathan and I had some creative costumes - I was a scarecrow (I'm good with theatre makeup) and Jonathan was Mild-Mannered reporter Clark Kent. We got lotsa compliments.

Anyway... I think that's all I have on my mind right now. I just want to spend time with my friends and that's really all that matters.