We have a gift closet. Let me rephrase that. Dan has a clothes closet that I have taken over and filled with gifts. Where his jeans used to be, lovely items grace the shelves, waiting to be wrapped and handed over to the intended recipients. If you open the sock drawer, you will find the makings of Christmas cards. The top shelf alone is jam packed with gifts for our niece and nephews. Anytime I find something cool that I think they’ll like, I buy it. It goes on the shelf, patiently waiting for a celebration of some sort.

I made a stop at Michael’s today, planning on buying just stuff to make a cake and nothing else craft related. (More on that story later, after Dan’s birthday has passed.) Instead, I found myself wandering through the kids’ craft aisle. There were some neat storybook kits, paint-your-own piggy banks and temporary tattoos that caught my eye. I only bought one thing, a Disney Princess art kit for our niece. As I paid, I patted myself on the back for finding her birthday gift so early in the year. As I drove home, I mentally ticked her name off my gift list. As I proudly carried the gift into our gift closet, I eyed the shelves to find a safe spot to store it.

Hm…there’s the bedside lamp I bought for her birthday. I guess this will be a Christmas gift.

Oh…there’s the art book and finger paint set I bought for her Christmas gift. I guess this will be a random “yay for you” gift.

Oops…there’s the exact same Disney Princess art kit that I am currently holding in my hands.

Alright, so maybe there’s a teeny tiny flaw in my system. I buy the gifts so far in advance that I forget I’ve purchased them. However, I’m choosing to view this as a good thing. Now I get to return the item and spend the money at Michaels for something else crafty! Yay me!

I’m all about positive thinking.

I’ve recently tried my hand at being a matchmaker. I say “recently,” but in truth it’s been a few years. A few years of miserable failure.

Example #1 – I tried to set up a close female friend with a customer from the gas station I worked at. He came in every night and we had struck up a friendship of sorts. I knew he had a job and a car, so he wasn’t a bum who would use her for her money. He was funny and nice, so I hoped he wouldn’t break her heart. I planned a group outing and was dismayed when during the night, she said she wasn’t interested. Plus, she was insistent that he liked me. Nope, she had to be dead wrong. My gut feeling was that he liked her. One year later, we got married.

Example #2 – When planning the wedding, my mom decided she would set up the friend from example #1 with the son of her best friend. No way, Mom. Those two would never get together! A year later, we were sitting at *their* wedding.

Example #3 – I was noticed how flirty two mutual friends were being. They spent a lot of time together and seemed to be really close. I couldn’t understand why they weren’t dating. When I approached my female friend, she said she viewed him as a brother and dating him would be too weird. When I approached my male friend, he also said dating her would be too weird since she was like a little sister. I was shot down before either gave it a chance. (For the record, I still think they’d make a cute couple. But, whatever. It’s not like they know best or anything.)

Example #4 – When lamenting to a friend about how my career as a matchmaker was crashing, he told me to pretend to introduce him to a mutual male friend. As I made my introductions between the two heterosexual guys who had been friends for years, they locked into an embrace. Success! Even if it had been their way of mocking me.

I take what I can.

I have a job! Elinor managed to get me an interview with her company and they offered me the job on the spot. Yay! Thanks, Elinor!! Not only do I get a steady paycheck again, but I also get to work in the same department as Elinor. We don’t talk too in depth, (we are at work, after all,) but we do get the chance to catch up more often. Plus Elinor is an easy person to go to whenever I have questions.

I love my new coworkers too. While my friends at MTB will always hold a special place in my heart, this group is easy to get along with and welcomed me with open arms.

Literally. Someone gave me a hug on my first day.

There is one major con to working there though. Everyone brings in treats all the time. Seriously, everyday there is junk food being passed around our department. So far, I’ve seen hard candies, chocolate, donuts, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream pints, popsicles and every type of salty snack food you can imagine. Someone goes to QT everyday for soda runs and more than one person picks up lunch from a variety of restaurants in the area. My will power is tested Every. Single. Day.

On the plus side, fountain soda is my favorite thing in the world. The fact that my coworkers are all as obsessed as I am just means that I’ve found the perfect work place.

Mmm…Diet Coke with crushed ice…