1/31/2011 A weekend that wasn’t too bad—possibly even good. I was busy with my friends all day Saturday and my daughter had the day off from me (and from any responsibilities). So it was a win-win situation. I went skiing and she watched TV and dyed her hair black.

We had our usual Sunday together, which started off with me being the grumpy one for a change. Her cats scratched at my door and jumped on the doorknob to try to break into my room. Naturally, this happened at 5, 6, and 6:30 a.m. I finally went downstairs to see if they were hungry, then went to the fridge to get some OJ. My daughter was in charge of buying it for me the day before (was even allowed to keep the change), but she got orange “beverage” instead. Obviously, she wasn’t paying attention and just wanted to buy the cheapest item so she could keep the maximum change. I complained loudly, and she got out of bed and ran to the store for me. Either she felt badly or she didn’t want to hear me complain.

Fast forward to a few hours later. We got over the grump hump and snuggled a bit with her cats and made some jokes, talked to her sister on the phone, and finally got dressed to go out. I was quite dismayed at her choice of outfits and that fact that she wears a loop in her nose, not a post. It’s gross and, to make matters worse, the hole is swollen and possibly infected. She also had dye stains on her face, neck, and hands. She is so beautiful, but looked a bit unkempt. But I never want to destroy the confidence she’s gained or the relationship we’ve build by voicing my criticisms, so I keep my mouth shut and strategically pick my battles. My mind loops loudly, though.

We ended up at a Paradise Bakery where we could use the free wi-fi and set her up with her work benefits. She was so excited and felt very proud to be able to provide her own medical insurance. Her company covers her 100%, which saves me $300 a month. That makes me smile just thinking about it. Then, I don’t know what came over me, I bought us tickets to see one of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas and we planned a trip right then and there.

We were so excited, but that wasn’t the highlight. Oh, no. One of the teenage boys working there and my daughter kept giving each other the eye. Obvious, big, bold flirting. He kept passing by our table and looking at her out of the corner of his eye, and she gave him her big pretty smile with those dreamy eyes of hers. When we got up to leave, he put a little cookie package on table and said, “Here’s an extra cookie for the road.” She picked it up and it had his number on it!! OMG, right in front of her mother. I don’t know if it was because she looked like a sweetheart or looked like she was easy. I’m so afraid because the nose and tongue piercings might make her appear to be something she’s not (or maybe she is?).

I still see her as my baby-child and I want to protect her, but she’s so tough on the outside that I wonder if she needs my protection. I’m drawn to nurture her and really never want her out of my sight, just off my nerves!

We took a long and actually wonderful walk through the tourist section of town where the shops were all buzzing, live musicians were playing, and an arts festival was going on. We chatted about her new position at work, the meaning of bankruptcy, why she considers her best friend her best friend. We shopped in some of the boutiques for fun, shared a huge ice cream sundae, and just had a nice time. Then we did some food shopping and bought some fun snacks for her for the office and some other things she needed, and just had a nice day together. I like days that end with the word NICE.