Oh now that was just what I needed.

A corner table at Saffron Indian Cuisine, my friend Michele and HER friend (who will remain nameless since I know it’s OK to talk about Michele in my blawwwwwg but I forgot to ask our Third Party of the Evening).

My tummy, she is happy. The staff of the restaurant was attentive but not overtly so, and we had a raucous conversation. Well, except for the part where it seemed like hours before they came to pick up the check.

Affirmed: I’m on an oil-covered slip’n'slide straight to hell.

Acknowledged: I’m a baaaaaaad influence. $250/hr to start, that’s all I’m sayin’.

I’m not supposed to blog a good 2/3 of our conversation. Apparently, Michele’s Invisible Friend Jesus gets upset when she’s not behaving as she should be.

Michele didn’t believe me when I said I was as wide as I was tall once upon a time. This Feb 2007 post has a smidge of photographic proof. (Like you can be a smidge of anything when that voluptuously pregnant!!!)

Also, it’s with sincere regret that I inform you ladies that you’re not the first members of my fanclub. Can you guess who it is from this January 2004 post?

Hm. What else did we talk about that I promised links for? I can’t remember now…

****Added later:

The Tag Suggest Thing for WordPress is here.

I also found another “hugely pregnant” picture. This one was taken 3 days before Joe was born. (Take a look at my foot – it’s the only place where it’s obvious that I was having fluid retention issues.) (Apologies to the regular readers who remember this pic. Michele didn’t.)

Hugely Pregnant

The last Monday of 2007

This year, more than any since I moved back to NC in 2003, was one of achieved balance for me and my family.

My daughter decided to stop homeschooling (and I miss having her around the house. Kinda). (Okay, I don’t miss the snarky teen attitude all day long.) She has set goals for herself, and realized that some “close” friends were getting in the way of those goals. I’m so incredibly proud of her independence (though it’s also a gigantic pain in my ass at times). She’s established herself socially, found her “look”, and has realized that yes it IS possible to be a brainy chick and rawk hardcore at the same time.

Daniel and Joseph are nothing BUT change in progress as they grow. I can’t think of any major (out of the ordinary) milestones at the moment.

I finally found my groove at school, went back to work part-time, and have almost completely conquered the panic attacks. My supah-secret message board celebrated its first year, I joined BlogHer and BlogHerAds, and attended ConvergeSouth 2007.

And now, in order to make this post COMPLETELY meme-ish, here are my favorite posts of 2007:

January: I tripped the rant fantastic about being slave to Daniel’s texture issues. I also oh-too-briefly declared the right to choice.

February: My fourth divorciversary came and went, and I whipped out the boobs again.

In March I Calculated the cost of sick kids, had another cheap date, and stumbled upon a good visual interpretation of how I feel during panic attacks.

My piano came home, I pondered the dichotomy of pro-life campaigns, ranting about gender equality and packaged curricula in April.

May found me pondering life’s mosaic, and a letter to Campbell’s Soup company.

I loved my WordPress plugins, taught my darling CaraMichele how to introduce her invisible friend Jesus, sneaked my birthday in on my friends, and shelved the kids when Holly came to visit in June. And I kissed June off with a day in the park with Esbee from Life In Forsyth.

Overstimulation almost ruined our Kernersville Fireworks Experience, but I recovered and immediately dashed across the state lines to put my laptop in Mamaw’s lap. I broke some rather surprising news and pondered on blogging and self-censorship.

Hey Em? You’re not gonna get this done by midnight.

August was sweltering and I spent most of my time inside defending against blog scrapers, writing a letter to the girls who saw Knocked Up , Being Nice, being frugal, fantasizing about a bathtub.

September was a light blogging month since I started the Fall Semester at school. Mom wrote things down, I found some things, and wrote letters.

I gave Holly blue balls when she came to visit me in October. Then I dumped our kids on my Dear Sainted Mother and spent two days hanging out with The Bloggers and lovin’ it. I ranted about the lack of promotion of Kernersville’s feature in Southern Living Magazine, took some pretty pictures of rain, waxing thoughtfully on why I blog.

Lessons in procrastination kicked off November. I said goodbye to my baby clothes, examined a fork, and was mean to my Sainted Mama. I also embraced The F.

Light blogging was the theme of December as I dropped the fork I examined, prayed to Our Lady of Perpetual Laundry, asked for your kindness, and showed the Christmas Tree being vigorously protected.

Happy new year, kiss someone you love, and stay safe in 2008.