Valentine's Day = Baby Chi-Chi's Birthday.

Over the course of my life it is safe to say I have spent more Valentine's alone as a single person, than with a boyfriend.  I am 30 years old, I am a single woman, and I don't give a shit.  Every year around this time I get a wild hair that I should try internet dating because that's what people are supposed to do, people believe they have to have a significant other.  I have truly loved only one person in my entire life.  When things didn't work between he and I about 9 years ago... I'm not sure I ever fully recovered.  I gave and gave to this person, and he took everything I had.  Some days I believe I gave so much to him that I no longer have a love like that to share with just one person.  (I swear to God if you people leave me messages on here and send me messages via facebook to not give up, I'll punch you in the face.)  So this past week when I lasted on the internet dating site for 4 whole days, my longest stint yet, I was pretty pleased with myself.  In those 4 days I received many, many messages from men, I can put them in two catagories:
1.) Jewish, Gary Sinise look a likes, that are proud of their janitorial career.
2.) Men that want to bang a fatty.
By Sunday I had determined it was time to end it for another year on the ol' dating websites.  See you next year Plenty of Fish! 

I made the move to the Twin Cities one year ago next month.  In that time, I have added to my circle of friends, and today was really a realization of things for me.  Remember how I said I was going to change names to protect the innocent?  Yeah, that's not going to work.  I'll forget the names I make up for people, so I'll be using first names, don't sue me, there won't be anything too incriminating that I'll be writing.  ;)

It only took a few months to realize when I took my job up here, that I had found some people that could truly enjoy the essence of Radke.  Within a few months I had made a great group of friends at work, and I immediately considered them family.  When my office family member, Chanell, and her husband Matt announced they were expecting in the late spring,  the rest of my office kin was thrilled for them.  We are a unique mix of people, but myself, Chanell, and Kate are really a trio of sorts.  Being single, it was not unusual for me to invite myself along on Matt and Chanell's movie dates...soon, Kate wanted in on the fun..and before you know it, poor Matt and Chanell had 2 people tagging along.  It only made sense that Kate and I decided we should be their 'sister wives'.  Don't worry you perverts, not like the freaky television show, just in jest. 

Now, I've had plenty of friends get pregnant before but this time it was different.  I got to see the mom to be every single day at work.  We watched that little baby bump grow every, single, day.  It was their first baby, and she was excited to share all of the things she was going through.  I swear, by the last week I was even having sympathy sciatica pains right along with her.  Chanell sent us weekly baby updates from Baby Center to our work emails, we were all thrilled when we found out she was having a girl, we even named the baby "Chi-Chi".  This single gal helped to throw a baby shower!  Of course I was drunk for most of it, but I totally threw a shower.  A bunch of us from work use the 'Group Me' app, and if you don't have it, you should get it .  It allows one big group to communicate back and forth with each other via phones/texting...which would come in handy..

Today, Valentine's Day, Chi-Chi decided she wanted out.  Only in 2012, would a mother's water break and she informs the whole group of us with a text that says she's headed to the hospital...and then periodically informed us where she was throughout the day leading up to labor.  Let me tell you, it made the day a lot more exciting in the office when we would get those updates..a few of us suspected that she may have actually laughed the baby out because nothing is a faux pas with us.  We needed to know exactly how gasy she was, and then proceeded to have an extended conversation about flatulence via Group Me.  Late this afternoon, a beautiful baby girl was born to my Chanell and her husband Matt.  So tonight, when I got to thinking about what I wanted to write about, I knew I wanted to write about this Valentine's Day.  I have always known I love my friends.  But today in the midst of a day when people are obsessed with coupledom, I was a spectator via 'Group Me' while a baby was being brought into the world.  For some, love is only about couples, and a focus on romance is what this holiday is about for some.  But for me, and my single life, it's a day to reflect on the love I do have for my family, for my friends, and be thankful for the relationships that are in my life.  For many single ladies, being single is a death sentence.  But I know, I will never, ever be alone...especially when you have friends that are more than willing to discuss fart jokes with you no matter what state of emotion you are in.  My love, on Valentine's, to my family aka friends. 

PS: Tomorrow Baby Chi-Chi you meet your Auntie Megan and Auntie Kate, we have much to teach you young Jedi.