It's January and my birthday is just a few shopping days away. It turned 2003 and I barely felt the bump going into the new year. It was just another work day for Hazel Street Productions. We've been working so hard to make our company fly that we are largely forgetting about celebrating holidays or giving presents. My daughter and son can attest to this. I just realized I forgot both of their birthdays in the last week.

     Sorry.

Plus, there is always new tecky equipment we need that stops us from getting say... a new robe for the CEO. One that fits over my rather rotund rear area, would be nice. Sitting in a closet at a desk all day designing and building websites does not lend itself to staying fit or to fitting in my old robe. I dropped a few helpful hints before Christmas. Christmas Eve is our anniversary and I felt like there was a double chance that I might get a robe as a present.

Now, presents aren't really important. Isn't it the "Thought that counts"? Glenn gets me things that always make me express surprise at the very least, but the two comic books and the Barbi doll just didn't fit my CEO image even though Barbi was wearing chaps.

I tried not to be disappointed. There aren't many husbands who know their wives are also twelve, but then I went to do a photo shoot. The client wanted pictures of her wearing a bathrobe for a story. She walked into the kitchen holding two Big, fluffy, tie at the waste, oversized, terry cloth robes. "Which one?"

I was jealous.

Two robes exactly the way I like them. All that was missing was the color, pink. I had to sit and let it go.

My husband is a handsome, tall, loving man with quirky present buying skills. One year, he bought me two rocks. They were interesting rocks. One was yellow in color and polished like a diamond. It was as big as a paperweight. "This is your treasure rock." he said.

I had it hidden in a box for only me to look at. Nothing happened to me. I took it out and I got a job. It got dusty and I lost the job. I put it in my husband's work shoes and he got a job. Then I decided it was too much power to mess with, so I prominently displayed it on my dresser and started building Hazel Street. I consider this rock the visual presence of my soul and I imagine it shining. I am very encouraged to do good works by it. The other rock is a gray stone from a creek bed. It has cool carvingsof dancers on its surface. I'm not sure what I did with it. I think it's holding a door open. When people asked me what I got for Christmas that year, I said, "I got a rock." Just like Charlie Brown. It was a real conversation stopper.

I keep thinking how lucky I am to have someone in my life who loves me, but I can't seem to love my new comic books or my new doll. I keep seeing a fluffy pink robe dancing before my eyes just out of reach. I guess that's what I need right now a carrot on a stick to motivate me because the truth is if we pulled in enough money, I would feel like I could make time to go over to Macy's and get that robe for myself.

Then Glenn could just be the man I love, no robing necessary.