Jessica Simpson's Shawl and My Best Work Friend

I did it. Took the plunge. I finally did something for someone outside the family straight from the windfall's coffers. While I've been able to do some things for people I don't know, I've been a bit nervous to venture into the realm of doing things for people I do know. Gotta stay relatively anonymous you know.

So.......it may sound a little juvenile, but I have a best friend at work. She is just a few years older than I am, so she is my "go to" friend for all kinds of questions. A very strikingly attractive woman who is a fashion plate, she has those sultry Argentinian looks (obviously my diametric opposite) and just happens to have a very yummy husband. I know this because one day I was at her desk and happened to pick up a picture on her sideboard. I glanced at it and then did a double take. "My God, is this your husband?" I murmured. She looked sharply at me and said, "Yes, that's him." I said, "You never told me how gorgeous he is." She laughed. She is the one friend I have that we can actually talk about......well, things.

I digress. Around Thanksgiving last year, she had made a trip to Argentina and returned with the most gorgeous shawls. I absolutely fell in love with a maize colored one not realizing I had selected the exact shawl Jessica Simpson has on in this picture from her MTV Show, The Newlyweds! I HAD to have it. Had to. Suddenly, I had turned into a weird MTV groupie. And my girlfriend -- she understood. Turns out the Argentinian knitter, weaver, whatever she was, had made Jessica's shawl too. My shawl was famous! Jessica and I were "sisters in the shawl." My girlfriend would not let me pay full price; in fact, she GAVE it to me -- said she'd make it up on the other ones she sold. But, she said, there's just ONE condition. You have to promise me that you will make brownies with it on -- just like Jessica does on the show! She was laughing (we are constantly laughing) and since she had thrown down the gauntlet -- by God, I made those brownies -- WITH the shawl on too! I called her while I was doing it, and she said put your webcam on -- I don't believe it. I'm like WEBCAM? I don't have a webcam. Then she said.....ah well, a webcam can be fun for all sorts of things. At which, I bent double laughing. She is such a nut.

By now, I'm sure you've guessed that she had to be at the top of my list for "reward." I decided because we don't have enough time together, and we have so much fun that a "spa day" was in order. Since I couldn't tell her about the windfall (at least yet anyway), I told her I won a contest -- a spa day for two at our local spa. Lord, it is going to be heavenly. We're starting out the morning with a hot stone massage. They serve cold water with crisp cucumbers in it for cleansing the system. I just love that water. I know; I'm nuts. And I know -- I can make that spa water and keep it right in my own refrigerator. Anyhow, next we will have full body sea scrubs, then a delicious, catered lunch. After lunch, we're having facials, manicures and pedicures. I am really looking forward to it. She thinks I am really lucky. She's right.