What's that line from?  Anyone?  Actually I don't remember the name of the movie, but it was a ridiculous Nicolas Cage/ Meg Ryan movie that came out while I was in college... City of Angels!  That's it!  The memory is the first thing to go...

They say that the 30's are the new 20's... which means I'm back to where I started 10 years ago.  Not sure how I feel about the new me just yet.  I wanted to run screaming from my 20's (that was some rough stuff) but not necessarily into the arms of my 30's.  That's kind of like sliding down a razorblade into a pool of saltwater.  But no matter how uncomfortable this whole transition may be, I did have the best time this past weekend.

Austin is just a cool place to be.  Love it.  What a beautiful place to have a wedding!  Toni and I drove down Friday morning and made it in time to meet Lauren and her friend Megan for Chipotle and pedicures.  Somehow I ended up drying by myself and got cornered by this senile old lady with a Prada bag.  She kept clutching it to her chest saying, "Well, you're OK, but these other Austin people look suspicious..."  Whatever, lady.  She was full of gems such as, "Be good to yourself or nobody else will," "This little girl (35-40 year old pedicurist) has to work 7 days a week... well, at least they're a hard-working people [Asians, apparently]," and "What do you do?  Oh... there's no money in that.  You should be a doctor, like all of my children."  I guess even though I'm the only one who'll ever be good to me and I don't make any money, at least I don't work like a dog... wait... I hope her kids are proctologists.

Anyway, the rehearsal and wedding were a lot of fun.  I always knew Lauren's wedding would be a party.  A par-tay, even. There were skits and songs and dances.  I felt like an understudy who'd just been called in last minute for the big show!  I mean, we were 5-6-7-8ing all Friday night.  It was a great thing to be a part of. 

AND, I'd be remiss if I didn't give props to the bride.  (She was totally in control, but no bridezilla.)  Lauren and I became friends 11 years before, to the day of, her wedding.  We were acquaintences at Baylor who worked together at the gym.  Lauren always had a soft spot for birthdays and somehow found out when mine was.  It was a Sunday night and I was alone, friendless and feeling sorry for myself.  I don't remember how she found me (we weren't roommates or even friends at the time) but she did and insisted that she take me out to dinner.  I had a birthday dinner at Pancho's in Waco that year, and I made one of the best friends I will ever have.  And at HER wedding reception she stopped, called me up to the front of the room in front of all of her family and friends, gave me a cookie cake and a present and had everyone sing happy birthday to me.  No one else would do that.  Nobody.  Just Lauren.  I'm crying right now-- that's how much that meant to me.  

Take THAT, Prada bag-having lady!  See, there are people who are good to me... better to me than I am to myself, I would say.