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not the worst birthday week I ever spent
October 14, 2009
Good birthday swag this year�In AZ, I got new shoes, See�s chocolates, a steak dinner at Pinnacle Peak Patio, a hot fudge sundae at Mary Coyle�s, and Arizona-style Chinese food (first place I ever had Chinese, and still worlds better than what we get here. Lemon Chicken that�ll rock your world), gorgeous weather, a trip to a fantastic bead store, and a strikingly beautiful, perfect, and breath-taking desert sunset.
After we got back, I got dinner at The Button Factory, a new winter coat, new tires on the Rocket, 3 lightweight sweaters perfect for work, 3 sets of new �schlubwear� (sweats), and I even got four packs of the fast-disappearing, limited-edition coconut M&Ms I love. And not quite over, even now�W and I are going to dinner this weekend, and then catching �Where The Wild Things Are�, as our mutual birthday celebration. (Yeah�we kinda made up.)
And when I went back to work today, I found out that my most horrible, soul-destroying project�has been cancelled. Oh, happy birthday, indeed�
First things first�Arizona.
GREAT trip. The weather was dry and in the low eighties, with loads of blue sky and sun. I got to spend lots of time with my Aunt and Uncle, and got in a good visit with my cousin, her husband, and their son.
I turned my aunt on to Trader Joe�s Chocolate Croissants. And I took her to her first bead store! (Not Scottsdale Bead, though. Turns out they have a Bead World right in their neighborhood!) I thought, from what she said, that she had already taken up this hobby. Nope. Turns out she was waiting for her only niece to come and lead the way.
So I did! So she did her first project�a strung necklace with a simple pattern�and I made a pair of earrings to match it. Lady has an eye, that�s for sure. Ivory �potato� pearls with evenly spaced, peridot Swarovski crystal cubes bordered by sterling silver spacers. Simple and stunning, quality all the way. This, of course, was after I talked her down from her first idea, which would have cost roughly $800 dollars. She reeeeeeally likes Swarovski crystals As it was, we spent over $50 on it. She was thrilled, and pretty proud of doing it herself.
Okay, so I did the crimping and she just strung the beads according to a pattern, but that ain�t hay for someone with poor sight and a bum hand from a stroke. After I went home, she took my cousin in there�now they�ve BOTH got the beader�s itch, and have decided they will take some classes together. I don�t know how Dr. J thinks she�s going to find the time, but if she does, I think it would be great for both of them.
We mostly just puttered around and talked while we were there�content to spend time with people we love. Heck, I was more than content to sit on the shady patio, watching the birds and soaking in the brilliant blue of the sky. My Aunt and I went shoe-shopping at a store where�oh, heaven!�they carry nothing but WIDE SIZES. One night, the cousin�s family and I played Blongball while Spouse cooked up the bratwursts he had so carefully transported cross country, and then we had a lovely old time with everyone around the dining room table. On our birthday, we all drove out to the Peak for dinner, marveling at all the changes to the area. Coming back, we got to enjoy a postcard-ready sunset, complete with mountain peaks and saguaro cacti silhouetted against the fiery sky. Nothing of the adventure-based, thrill-seeking type of vacation.�but what I needed, I got. The kind of soul-restoration you get from spending time in a place that agrees with you, with people who love you.
Sigh.
Unfortunately, by the time you get through all the BS of the plane ride home, arriving to dark, cold, and rain, covering the distance to where the bags come in, then covering the distance to where the car is parked, then covering the distance from Chi-Town to K-Town�yeah, the soul is in tatters once more.
And add a 12-hour turnaround that has to include unpacking, 2 loads of laundry, re-packing, kenneling the dog, and loading up the car for a five and a half hour drive to SE Iowa? I was in no condition to be festive, I can assure you.
But that was just what was required, since my parents were taking us out to dinner for a birthday present.
And they pleasantly surprised us by being quite congenial. We had a lovely, leisurely dinner at The Button Factory, and then headed back to our respective hotels for some quiet. Spouse and I took a swim, a soak in the hot tub, and a much-needed early bedtime.
The day of the wedding, we got going and went out to breakfast, then decided to kill a bit of time by poking around the Farm & Fleet store. Excellent choice, that�I found a beautiful plum-colored micro-suede winter jacket that fit perfectly and only cost $75.00. And Spouse bought it for me! Then, I lucked out and found the book I�d been looking for to get my dad for HIS birthday. (Sounds strange to find a book at the F&F, till you realize it�s a book about John Deere tractors.) Spouse even found the right filter for the humidifier on our furnace, so all in all, it was a productive little shopping trip.
Was a little freaky to come out of the store and find it was snowing its ass off, though. Felt bad for Niece, but it didn�t stick, and the sun was shining by wedding time. Or maybe it was the radiant glow emanating from the bride. She was gorgeous, and broke into giggles during the ceremony. I love that kid. Love all the kids, even my new nephew. Was great to see everyone on such a happy occasion. Youngest nephew didn�t make it to his cousin�s wedding, though. When you are a freshman playing varsity, on a football scholarship, you don�t tell the coach you can�t start in Saturday�s game because you have to usher at a wedding. You show up, you play, and you kick their ass 62 to 15. GO PANTHERS!
Reading: Alexander McCall Smith ,�The World According to Bertie� (from the 44 Scotland Street series).
Surfing: The Many Hats of George Costanza
Listening:
At Random: click here
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