Going Out With a Bang!

Things I learned for my 32nd birthday this year:

1.  Always carry a cell phone, especially in large crowds.

2.  Drunk guys make for a memorable birthday.

3.  There is NOTHING better than a hug for your birthday!

The beginning of our date took us to Old Town for the  Cinco De Mayo celebration.  I was the one wanting to go.  Poor Will couldn’t find a parking spot so he told me to hop out.  I told him I would wait for him, only he never heard me.  My phone had fallen out of my pocket at the house so there was no way for me to call him.  So I waited on the steps for about 45 minutes before he finally found me.  By then we had to push back our dinner reservation and it was time to go.  Maybe next year:)

Dinner was delightful.  I love Lou and Mickey’s.  This time it even came with a random drunk guy that crashed our table during dinner.  He sat down kind of next to me and we thought he was waiting for someone.  Then he left, came back and sat across from me, next to Will.  Then he started talking to me…like 10 minutes talking to me, about a whole lot of nothing.  I finally told him I had 3 kids and was planning on having more and he was gone.  If only I had mentioned that earlier.  The table was crickets and we heaved a sigh of relief as he stomped off.

Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday!  What a wonderful weekend.  I feel so blessed to have you all in my life!

Figaro, Figaro, Fiiiigaro!

What a great evening – a fantastic opera paired with fantastic seats!  I have been waiting for this opera for a year.  Never have I heard so much laughter at the opera than in the first Act of Barber of Seville this past weekend.  This would have been a good opera for a first time opera goer.  I was a little bummed that the second Act couldn’t quite hold to the first.  Either way, we found out some friends had tickets too so we met up for dinner before hand.  Mimmo’s was our destination.  Quite the charming atmosphere, being inside the restaurant, feeling like you’re outside in a quiet bistro in Italy.  Did you catch that?  I know it was a mouthful, sorry about that.  Truly, a lovely night!

A Munching Strolling Date

I’m starting to think that I might not really like Mexican food or perhaps all my tastebuds are dying so I crave savory food.  We started at Jimmy Carter’s for our Bite San Diego Tour in Hillcrest.  What a great date!  Quesadillas, tostados, and calamares tacos.  We walked about 15 blocks, hitting up 6 restaurants; learned a little history of Hillcrest and made some new friends in the process.

Local Habit What pizza can be complete without caramelized onion deliciousness?!  Will and I have had multiple conversations revolving around breweries and their ridiculous ability to have AMAZING food!  I swore I would be back for the Gouda Mac and Cheese.

Empirehouse  was once two little houses that have come together to delight us with food we love with a fun twist, not to mention the owners are fabulous.  It will see a reunion tour from us sometime soon.  The BBQ Bacon Burger casters with the red-miso sauce were so savory.

Brazen BBQ  OH my goodness!  I have not been so happy to have brisket and pulled pork in such a long time.  The owner wasn’t kidding when he talked about ribbons of flavor.  There is no surprise that they have won national BBQ competitions.  Watch out Texas!

Kona Coffee Shop  had a huge variety of delicious sounding coffees, but since I don’t do coffee, not to mention, I have enough perky without the coffee, I opted for a hazelnut steamer with whip.

Will was skeptical of the  Lotus Cafe…you know it being organic, vegan and vegetarian.  It was the trifecta of everything Will has no interest in food-wise.  Those are all swear words by his standards.    What a pleasant surprise.  We enjoyed carrot smoothies, hummus with pita bread and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  We agreed each was delightful, even if the carrot smooth tasted suspiciously like pumpkin pie.

San Diego Walking Tour

Admittedly, I am a lover of delicious food.  I would rather take a bite of wonderful, tasty goodness over a trough of mediocrity any day.  I actually tend to steer clear of restaurants that tout large portions.  It is a rarity to find good food and lots of it on one plate.  Don’t mistake me for a food snob, because I’m not.  I just don’t want to waste calories on food that is just okay.  So I convinced Will and some of our friends to take a Bite San Diego Tour for his birthday.

Our first and last stops were by far my favorite.  And just to dispel any rumors, no we didn’t try any of the beer samples.

The restaurant stops on our La Jolla tour were:

• Karl Strauss Brewery I will definitely be back here.  Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe my new found love affair.  Just check out the menu and tell me it doesn’t make your mouth water.  The bits and pieces were delightful!

• Extreme Pizza They are known for having pizzas that are “Extreme not mainstream.”  Their Pandora’s Box was a tastebud tickler for sure.

• This lovely little cafe had oatmeal and buttermilk pancakes with a variety of toppings.

• Brick and Bell The brickyard bakery and bistro is famous for it’s scones. It’s a cute little place and their scone selection is quite extensive.

• Cups The hippest cupcake lounge you’ve ever seen, complete with DJs and a culinary school.  The lemon ricotta cupcakes were delicious and the onsies were even cuter.  I tried to buy a few for my sister-in-laws, but the line was too long.

• We Olive I walk into places like this and think, “Look what I’ve been missing my whole life!”  I never would have thought to age a wonderful white peach balsamic vinegar, let alone try a lemon squeezed olive oil.  Oh my, I’ve been converted.

Scheming, Plotting and So Much More…

I realized Will and I don’t have any recent pictures together so you are getting a picture of the guy I fell in love with.

Will and I hit 9 years of marriage today.  We had a wonderful anniversary in Denver to celebrate.  The story is quite comical so if you feel obliged, feel free to step into the comical world of me.

Will informed me that my parents were going to watch the kids and he had planned a fun date.  I was expecting a show and dinner or something to that effect.  In the car, headed for downtown Denver, Will announces that we are going to walk around the 16th street mall(He seemed VERY excited about this).  I got a little huffy. A slight chastising of Will and his planning ensued(For the record: I have since, apologized profusely).    I believe my words rang to the effect of, “We have got to start delegating anniversaries for planning, because this just isn’t cutting it.”  We get downtown and Will tries to park in some hotel’s parking garage.  I tell him that the parking meter is open across the street and it will be a lot cheaper, but I let it go thinking that this might be the only place he felt comfortable with in his planning.  We park and he is asking about validation and what I think is blah, blah, blah, so I go sit by the fire waiting for it all to be over.  At this point, you might be savvy to his plotting, but I was oblivious.  He tells me the inside elevator of the hotel takes us shopping, which I think he is crazy, but I follow.  Then he punches the top floor saying he wants to see if there is a restaurant or at least a view.  I tell him there is NO restaurant on top of The Magnolia and they aren’t going to waste the awesome view on the halls, but he ignores me, stepping out into the hall.  He then replies, “What about the view from in here?”  Then he swipes a card for one of the suites and I about jump out of my skin.  The first words out of my are, “Does my mother know about this?!” You would think I was 16 at this point, right?  Aside: I know that was a completely embarrassing comment, but that is just what came out.  I retrospect, I hear myself commenting, boy was I a brat!

My parents had indeed schemed with Will so we could get away.  He patiently endured me.  There isn’t a better guy than that!  We all know life is about enduring to the end.  Rarely, do we think it is enduring another person, but he does it so well.  Regardless, the view was breathtaking and the fire inside was cozy.  After checking in, we went down and out on the town for a night filled with little stops that laced so nicely together making such a beautiful memory.  We wandered the 16th street mall in LoDo.  We got chocolates and steamed milk.  We listened to the street performers.  Pianos placed up and down the street have become an artist’s canvas both on the pianos themselves as well as the music that resonates from them.   We did some fun shopping and even ended up at a wonderful bookstore.  We read in the library of the hotel while enjoying their nightly milk and cookies.  We even managed to squeeze in some games of pool.  I love Will and I know just how lucky I am to have him.  He is so patient, thoughtful and kind.  I consider myself, one lucky gal.  Happy Anniversary Will!