Skin - my love/hate relationship

Loathsome, hateful blemishes.

I refuse to call a facial blemish anything else, as the alternative names make me feel a bit queasy and very unladylike. During Southern Belle Training 101, my Grandmother Charlene (she insisted on the title Grandmother, as Grandma was too pedestrian for her), taught me a few life lessons when I was four years old.

As I sat on the sofa (NOT a couch), with my ankles crossed (NOT my knees) and learned to knit (so Grandmother could impress her sewing circle with how advanced her granddaughter was), I distinctly remember her telling me about adolescence and facing such issues as "blemishes." I think she wanted to start this conversation early with me, since she had suffered severely as a teenage girl.

Which brings me to the topic of skin. I can really only think of two points recommending skin:

1. We need skin to regulate/protect other organs, muscles and bones.
2. Skin's healing process is fascinating; the way it knits itself together after an injury.

The bad and the ugly of skin;

1. Blemishes. Obviously!
2. Aging, thin, veiny skin - one can SEE blue-ish veins underneath my translucent exterior.
3. The inordinate amount of money needed to maintain said aging skin; body wash which doesn't irritate the skin, lotion to keep it from drying out, specific facial wash, toner, treatment and moisturizer to keep that temperamental face glowing.
4. Skin color still leads to assumptions and prejudices.
5. A day at the beach means lathering on sunscreen, theoretically every 30 minutes!
6. When I stress out(often) my body exacts it's revenge through my skin.

At the end of the day, I just really, really hate blemishes.

Hoarders!

After watching a few episodes of Hoarders (the production team is based out of Seattle, yikes!) I have become a little paranoid I might be a little itty bitty bit of a hoarder. So to combat this, I am going through a major house-purging overhaul.

What lead to this; my official self analyzation of some of my habits or tendencies.

A few traits I share with hoarders;
- I love to go thrift shopping!
- I reuse cardboard boxes (I at least stack them neatly in our storage unit).
- If I see a deal for future use (within 3 months) I will purchase the item.
- I purchase clothing (usually at Goodwill or Value Village) for my niece sometimes a year in advance (mostly because I find her age group's clothing section slim,
as I am guessing there was a minor "baby surge" in 2007).
- I buy books when I find a good deal (as I enjoy the smell of books vs. a
a plastic iPad).

Paul being the logical fellow he is, reminded me the show's definition of hoarding includes collection items which are useless, invaluable and even dangerous (to one's health).

I at least have my books in a bookcase and (most) everything in its place!

Our "First" Valentine's Day (as a married couple)

At times, it seems as if Paul and I have been together for a lifetime. We have our own couples' language (including "blipping" as a verb for "driving") and we read each others' mind - which is quite convenient, as my brain is usually mush by the time I get home.

After all these years, the best part of my day, and the part I look forward to the most, is seeing Paul. Sharing special days with him never gets old either. I love my sweet husband and forever valentine.