Finger_____

I KNOW what you are thinking "why, oh why, are we looking at a picture of your hands?" Strange way to start a blog post, I get it. But did you notice?

I have NAILS!!!! 

I don't like spending money on "frivolous" things.  Okay, okay, that would be a lie. I LOVE spending money on frivolous things ... but only on frivolous things that have a point. HA! I like to buy flowers to freshen up my pots (something I really need to do by the way...). That's frivolous-ish. Not completely necessary, but it makes our house look nice. I like to buy people gifts. That's frivolous - except for the fact that it shows how much I care! I like to spend money. BUT  I try not to spend money on "frivolous things" for myself .... 

So, when my momma said I should get my nails done, I was like "ehh...". Getting one's nails done is largely frivolous. Getting one's nails done takes a lot of time - like an hour and a half every other week (I'm not just getting painted - we're talking fake, fake, fake, because I chew my nails off - one of the only bad things I "got" from my wonderful momma). Getting one's nails done takes $$$$$ 35 for the first set. 25 for upkeep. Some places might be cheaper (?) but my girl does an absolutely fantabulous job. However, with the whole "you are going to be a teacher..." thing, I figured mom was right. And I got my nails done. Not just once, but like every other week for a couple of months. eek!

Here is what I decided ... having nails is GREAT. Shannon (my nail lady who ALSO happens to be my hair lady...) is helping me on my "12 step program" (ha! Nail biting is *seriously* like kicking an addiction!). We did fake nails. For a long time. I broke them, she fixed them. And my nails did something awesome -- they GREW. Who knew?! Then my nails got long enough we did "less fake" nails - just a thin layer of the acrylic. And they are awesome. And now, those nails you see in the picture, are (mostly) MINE. All mine. No fakeyness! I say "mostly" because a few of them still have the thin layer of acrylic on them because my appointment with Shannon when she will take off the acrylic and give me a nice "real nail" manicure isn't till Thursday ... I am just really good at breaking fake nails and popping them off (oops...). 

Having my own nails is awesome. Not biting them (hopefully) lets me look more confident ... which turns out is IMPORTANT when you are a nervous first year teacher! Not biting them (hopefully) will help me stay healthier - germs are icky. Think of all the germs on those fingers I was sticking in my mouth! bleh! Not biting my nails makes my hands look prettier. Not biting my nails is great. Shoulda done that a long time ago. ha!

Now, my nails are still super flimsy - these things don't get fixed over night! So we are doing lots of nail straightener and *hoping* they don't break! I file them a lot - make sure they stay painted - because I am worried that if they chip or break I will start picking at them and slip back into my nail biting ways ... so if you see me filing away, try not to laugh! Remember, it's just a part of my 12 step program... ;).