The Golden One

Please note: this post is about food more than anything else.
I have oodles to catch up on (Q's field trip, Branson, more projects, preschool, and the usual kid antics) but let's cut to the chase.
I turned 30 on Monday.
thirty.
Denial was the course I chose as the date approached, and it was a course of failure.  I'm married to a 36 yr old.  I can only pretend to still be in my 20's and get away with it for so long. Like 2 minutes...not even.

So 30 was embraced.  We celebrated early because birthdays last all weekend/week (ahem...ok all month long) in this house.  After Aaron got home from work on Friday night, we left the children in the fun-filled care of my parents (thanks, guys!) and drove up to Kansas City for a night away. 

We arrived in KC at 9:30pm and were totally starving. 
And totally stoked that we were in the city, where restaurants are still open and serving dinner that late.

We hit CPK and tried like half of the appetizers on the menu.
Attention Earth: deep fried mac n cheese is a real thing. and it is amazing. Get to a California Pizza Kitchen asap and order some.  I think this invention could quite possibly solve most of the world's problems....because who can be in a bad mood while eating crispy little breaded and deep fried balls of mac n cheese?  World Peace?  Done and done.

Anyway, we checked in to our suite at the Intercontinental on the KC plaza and settled into "the most comfortable bed" Aaron has ever been in and, comically, the minute our heads hit the pillows we heard a baby crying through the walls. And an obnoxious father "goochie goochie goo-ing".  And an irritated mother yelling at the father about her suitcase.

No way, man.  I had JUST lived the kids not sleeping in a hotel nightmare 2 nights before, in Branson, and was still traumatized.  Not tonight. Not on the night we paid a fortune and drove 3 hours to have the exact opposite experience.

15 minutes later we settled into our upgraded (and more importantly, totally silent) room. 
It was lovely.

We ordered room service in the morning and as waffle crumbs got in the bed I giggled at the thought that I would not be the one to clean up after myself.  Happy Birthday, indeed! Pass the syrup, please. 
Aaron's omelette was huge and we felt like royalty as we stuffed our faces and watched house flipping shows on cable.

KC plaza is a blast.  We visited the apple store and checked out the MacBookPro, but left without making a final decision.  Man, the apple store offers some high quality people watching.  It's like there are only two channels: geeks who care, and people who don't know how much more awesome their lives would be if only they cared as much as the geeks.

In Sur le Table we ran across these darling la rocherre drinking glasses that some friends of ours had 11 years ago. We loved them so much that we didn't include any glasses on our wedding registry because we had every intention of buying ourselves a set.

Then we realized we were a) poor and b) that nice drinking glasses were totally impractical for the college student/putting everything we own in and out of storage boxes lifestyle.  So we had plastic cups in our cupboard for years. 

Aaron spied the glasses first and we reminisced over how much we'd wanted them. 
It was silly, since they're only glasses, but I shamefully admitted that I still love them.
So did he.
Alas, we were both too lazy to carry around a heavy set of glasses all day while we shopped and walked around the plaza. We left empty handed, but were pleased and entertained by the satisfaction that we had actually found something (however tiny and trivial) that had managed to not change on us after 11 years.

We drooled over these oversized zinc letters in Anthropologie, and probably would have left with one if a) they'd had a W in stock, and b) we hadn't been too lazy to carry it around (see above).  Then Aaron left to check out a store next door, and walked right past this hottie on display with the mannequins in the window when he returned a few minutes later.  Obnoxious, I know.  I probably would have ignored me, too.

We got lost in Barnes & Noble for awhile.
Without warning, I threw up our fancy room service breakfast all over the street while people walked by all around us. Classy. Aaron held my hair up and proudly told all of the onlookers that I'm pregnant.  Then he took me back to the car to change my clothes. One might think that this is a terrible thing to have happen on a "romantic getaway" but for me, it was purely a reminder that I married a really great guy. 

Next, we tested out Toledo chairs at Restoration Hardware and Aaron finally got to see the farmhouse table that originally inspired me to build my own.  I was quick to point out flaws in craftsmanship and he was quick to point out how happy he was that our one of a kind table cost $3000 less. 

How great is this chair?  Drafting chairs at the kitchen table?  Why not, I say. We didn't buy them, but we're closer to finding something that we both like. Aaron still favors the Navy Chair over a drafting chair. We're both drawn to the industrial styles of both and the nice contrast the chairs would be placed around our black walnut harvest table. I prefer a wood seat and he likes the simplicity of an all metal chair.  One thing we love about them both is that they don't tip over every day like our ladder back chairs, do. If only we'd known.

More window shopping and Lunch for 3 (I couldn't make up my mind between two entrees so I ordered them both) at Noodles & Company.

We discussed baby names and 100 other things on the way home, and since the drive went so quickly, we actually decided to extend our date another 30 min and took a drive over through the area where we hope our future home will be.

We grilled steaks with my parents and Jimmie and Kasey on Sunday night and the weekend ended perfectly.

On Monday morning, the sound of thunder stormed outside and as I blinked awake I found Reese and Quincy inches from my face wishing me a happy birthday.  I took one look at my beautiful girls donning nightgowns and bed heads and awkward toothy grins and knew it would be a great day, a great year, a great decade.

The girls went to school and Corbin unloaded the dishwasher.  Good thing the dishes in it were clean, because he did a really thorough job!   My parents came over and Corbin had a play date with Grandpa while my mom and I went to lunch at The Red Onion...a cute little bistro in Bentonville.  My mom and I played Farkle at our table while we waited for our food (read: I SMOKED my mom in Farkle with the best game of my life and had 10,000 pts in 5 rolls.) I unfortunately wasn't feeling so hot at lunchtime, but the tomato bisque was just what I needed!  The food was awesome, and I was extra pleased to find all of the fixings for italian sodas at the soda fountain. 

Raspberry italian soda for the birthday girl!
Then a black cherry one when it was time for a refill.
Ok, and a mango one for the road... (In my defense, I didn't feel great. Liquids only seemed to be helping, and besides, it was my birthday. I can have what I want, even if that means 3 italian sodas for lunch. And a slice of turtle pie.)

On the way back home we stopped at Lowe's and I picked up a screen repair kit so I could milk my dad into helping me finish up one last project before they left town the following day.  My mom bought me a beautiful creeping tea rose bush and lattice for the front yard. Now that the tulip bulbs have all withered, the flower beds look pretty pathetic.  I grabbed a couple of grape vines to go on either side of the rose bush and it looks really great.  Thanks Mom and Dad!  I just need to get some mulch in there, now. 

Aaron stopped by on his lunch hour with 30 GORGEOUS red and white long stem roses and wished me a "happy golden birthday" before heading back to work for a meeting.  He had a really busy day lined up, but still found time to make the day special.

Kids napped, my dad replaced the screen in our back sliding door, and I threw up a bunch then took a wonderful and uninterrupted birthday nap.  Just what every mother dreams of...or at least this mother!

We went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner, where I promptly tossed every birthday cookie I'd eaten that day. Such a shame to puke on your birthday, I tell ya. Luckily, Kasey had Corbin over to her house for a lil' dinner date, so our meal was actually pretty relaxed.  The food was good as always, service was the best we've ever had at MM, and Reese and Quincy were hopped up on hawaiian punch and enjoyed singing to me (loudly) in the restaurant. 
The day was filled with birthday wishes and cards and phone calls and feeling loved and all things great.  I am very lucky to have everything I've ever wanted in life and all by age 30.   The rest of life will just be icing on the big fat cake that was the perfect birthday weekend....or birthday week, really...

...because on Tuesday, a set of 6 la rochere bumblebee glasses arrived on my doorstep!  Aaron was just FULL of surprises this year! They arrived just in time, too, because I had pointed out to him earlier in the day that we were down to 4 drinking glasses. Out of 12. WHERE were they all going?  Are the kids breaking them and not telling?  I know they aren't in the house, because every nook and cranny of my home has been organized and or cleaned out, lately.  More on this mystery to come, soon.  For now, the new glasses are sparkling in the prime real estate shelf in the glass cabinet and we are happy to host them.

Birthday Festivities continued at preschool on Wednesday and Thursday with cupcakes and birthday wishes from 9 sprinkle and frosting covered faces. 

On Thursday night, Kasey put together a small and perfect casual get together with a few of my favoritest people.  Among other really yummy treats, there was chocolate creme brulee with fresh berries, sweet cards and gifts from friends, loud talking and funny stories, and a great, relaxing night with 6 beautiful women that I love and admire.   To Kasey, Michelle, Katie, Tia, Emily, and Angie: thanks for making me laugh regularly, lifting me up when I need it, not judging me for having a hole in the armpit of my shirt that night, and being everything that great friends are.  I am surrounded by examples of excellence.

And today, a surprise package full of Trader Joe's goodness came in the mail from my incredibly thoughtful friend, Angie. So thoughtful, that she threw in a jar of Miracle Whip with a sinister laugh.  (I could hear your cackles in the foam packing peanuts, Angie!) Maybe 30 is my year to embrace Miracle Whip....or give it a second chance, at least ;)

I've read a lot of really cool things that people have done to celebrate a new decade.  30 acts of kindness, crossing 30 things off the bucket list, 30 presents, 30 day challenges, etc. and I feel inspired to do something, too. The one emotion I felt more than any other on my birthday was gratitude for the good people around me. This year, I'll write 30 cards or letters of appreciation to influential people in my life.  Without them, I wouldn't have much to celebrate, at all.   
 
29 was hard.
This has been one wild and wonderful week.
Whatever lies ahead for me this year, good or bad, 30 and I can handle it.  I have a lot to be grateful for, and I plan to celebrate all year.  
Thanks for giving me a golden birthday that I will always treasure!

The Circus Called...

I'm throwing up.
Reese is throwing up.
Quincy is throwing up.
Corbin cried all evening, which leads me to believe he wasn't feeling well, and will be throwing up shortly.

Corbin fell onto a stick yesterday (on his face) and now that eye is nearly swollen shut.

Quincy and Corbin got into a push and shove match with a door between them and the results were Quincy's forhead splitting open and a big, fat goose egg.
It's been a day.

When it rains, it pours. Tonight at my house, it is pouring vomit and I'm at breaking point.
I'm so hiring an army of cleaning ladies to come sanitize my house next week.

Day 2 in Paradise

On Day 2, we drove over to Sugar Bay beach. We loved it, and didn't expect to stay more than an hour or so, but the weather was perfect, we had a nice shady spot under a tree to leave our stuff, and the sand and water were so nice that we spent the entire day there. This was a more crowded beach, which didn't turn out to be as bad as we expected it to be. The resort nearby sends out waiters for their restaurants with menus and you can order food and have them delivered right to you on the beach. It was great!





We did some swimming, ordered a pizza and after we ate, Aaron rented snorkel gear and went over to check out the reef. I read my book and fell asleep under the coconut trees.

I woke up an hour later because a couple was walking by along the water and shouted, "look out!" and startled me. There was a huge iguana standing on our pizza box and his face was like 6 inches from mine! Ahhh! There were a couple of girls sunbathing 10 or 20 yards away. I asked them why THEY hadn't woken me up, and one of them held up a tennis racket and said, "we were just glad he had finally left us alone and went over to bug you instead!" nice
I pity the fool who eats my pizza!

After a day at the beach, we walked out to the penninsula to check out the amazing view.

See that long skinny pathway lined with coconut trees? When we reached the end, Aaron took me by the hand and looked me in the eye and said, "Meg Willardson, will you accept this rose?"

hahahaha I totally died.

What a stupid show. Sorry. I know there are a lot of fans out there, but give me a break. Could you get farther from reality?

What's that? You don't understand how we made it two whole days on beaches under the Carribean sun without getting a sunburn?

First of all, have you met me? I keep the sunblock industry thriving. I like my beach trips without the side of skin cancer. I kept us both lathered up in waterproof Coppetone and Banana Boat hourly. Only once, near the end of our trip did Aaron not reapply. He got a sunburn that day. Sunscreen works, baby! If it didn't, there's no way I could have returned home from a tropical vacation and still be white enough for a couple of girls at the local pool to ask me if this was my first time out, this summer. hahaha!

We ran out of sunblock on the 2nd day and had to buy more at one of the ridiculously overpriced gift shops. It was worth it, but all I have to say now is that when I turn 60, I'd better still look like I'm 25, or what a waste.

That night, we went to Duffy's Luv Shack for virgin pina coladas and chicken quesadillas. All of the drinks come with a bunch of those fun little decorations on a stick, like a pipe cleaner flamingo, or a tiny umbrella, or a pom pom with shiny streamers, or a plastic mermaid floating in the drink. Well these kids at the table next to us (thier parents had been there for an hour for drinks, and the kids were done with dinner and they had to wait for their parents to finish up) were totally bored, so they took all the decorations off of the drink sticks that had come in all of their parents alcoholic beverages. Then they stuck the stick (like long toothpicks) into their drink straws and walked over to the balcony near where we were sitting and like a blow dart gun, they shot the toothpicks out of the straws into the traffic below the restaurant. The REALLY funny part is that since the toothpicks had been soaked in alcohol, the boys blew their "guns" by some tiki torches, and the sticks burst into flames as they shot through the fire, and continued to burn as they flew down to the people and cars below. It was really funny, but also kind of sad that they were being so ignored, because their parents didn't have a clue how awesomely creative their kids are. We enjoyed the dinner entertainment though.

Day 1 in Paradise

We spent 5 nights in the US Virgin Islands. It was a dream! Even the flights were great...but I'm sure it's all relative. 6+ hours of flying sounds awful to some, but when you're used to flying alone with 3 kids, being alone with your husband instead is a pretty quiet upgrade. We watched a movie, napped, read, snacked, and talked a lot. It wasn't too shabby.

Our first adventure: the road to our Bed and Breakfast.
Ummm...civilization much?
We felt like we were in the line for Disney Jungle Cruise


Hmm...make that Indiana Jones Adventure....Minus any concern for general safety.

But just over the hill was Secret Harbor beach.

We swam, relaxed, and enjoyed people watching the one other group on the beach that evening-a pair of middle aged drunk guys from Chicago and their wives and teenage daughters. Guy #1 swam out to the floating dock and gave us a free show where he impersonated Flipper, then sang "This is How We Do It" about 10 times. With a dance. He did the running man and the cabbage patch justice. It was quite hillarious. They kept asking me if I was getting married, because of the flower in my hair. They left when their daughter swam out to the dock to pull her father off his "stage" and was stung by a sting ray.

Aaron and I watched the sunset with only the sound of the ocean and steel drums. It was great. We ate dinner at an outdoor grill right on the water. It was perfect!

I'm not going to lie, on our way back from the beach, we ended up walking down this road in total darkness. It was pitch black outside and we kept falling into huge pits in the road. There was buzzing in our ears, and then we heard large somethings scurrying past our feet into the brush.

All huddled together, we walked like a couple of scaredy cats walking through a haunted house.

The next morning, we woke to realize we had been eaten alive by mosquitos on our little night hike. Like I had more than 50 bites on one ankle.

In the light of the day, we discovered what had been crawling past our feet in the dark.

Ahhhh! They are so prehistoric looking. And reeeeally creepy. And they are everywhere. Like squirrels. Aaron was like, "is this an episode of Land of the Lost?"
Yeah, we rented a car.

Other than the creepy location and even creepier owner, the B&B was nice.
Our private balcony had an awesome view of Red Hook Harbor, and we woke up to the sounds of ships coming in and roosters crowing. We ate breakfast on the balcony and headed out for Day 2!

All Aboard

The freight train that was the past two weeks bulleted by.


Time passed as a 14 day line of box cars whizzing by, each day a moving rectangle overfull of cargo and heavy with emotions. I'd love to blog about it all with dates and detailed captions...


A first glimpse of reality on the horizon: the task of recounting each day of vacation grew to impossible as days became weeks and my mental recollection of the individual boxes blurred into a long singular line. A train carrying a mass of time that continues to snake farther and farther away from me. I am the passenger left standing in a fog on the exhausted platform with frizzy windblown hair and suitcases to unpack.



Luckily, I have a fresh batch of inside jokes to share with Aaron, Reese's remarkable gift for remembering details, and a camera full of pictures to help me catch up with the train. And rushing around the house to unpack, do laundry, harvest the garden, and return to our normal lives is not going to get me any closer the ghost of vacations passed, so why do them right away? How fortunate that I am in no hurry to redeem our transfer tickets and get on the route back to reality. That train will come soon enough. Unfortunately, Aaron will have to board it tomorrow morning.


As for the rest of us,

the suitcases will remain in a heap in the corner that I've labeled, "denial", and they will stay there until I am ready to face the real world and responsibility. I plan on just enjoying the long summer days with my kids, reading books, watching for eggs, and really just relaxing and enjoying that I have all of my favorite little people home with me. Simple pleasures. Stress free. I plan serving the frozen meals I have stockpiled in the freezer for dinner. And we'll be eating them off of-yup! paper plates! ---At least until we run out of silverware and I have to face the dishes. Or until we run out of paper plates, whichever happens first. I also plan on just hitting the pool instead of bathing the children (hey, it's chlorinated, right? Better than soap, I say.) then, from the pool, we will be coming home and schlubbing around in our swimwear because it's going to be a freaking 105* this week and that is just too dang hot for real clothing, so swimwear sounds like a better option than nudity.



Now, important business to discuss:

Where can I get a hammock and a pina colada in Northwest Arkansas?

What?!
Whaddya mean, "nowhere"!???



Forget reality. Let's jump the next train to Ca.

Dreaming of...

Here.Thanks to my BFF/should-be-a-travel-agent-or-personal-shopper-because-she-is-gifted-at-finding-the-bestest-deals-on-the-interwebs, we found flights (from XNA? Yes, please), entertainment, and a awesome little B&B for my Aaron and I to spend the week of our 10th anniversary on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands on the cheap. Still trying to work out other details, but, I am very, VERY excited.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

We're headed to Dallas this weekend.
Sans children!

We plan to:
-sleep past 5am
-go to the temple
-eat In n Out Burger
-go furniture shopping
-IKEA
-hit the outlets
-eat a lot of good food.

I'm really looking forward to a couple days alone with my guy.
He's good company, be jealous.

It takes a good friend to love your children the way you do.
A BIG shout out to Kasey. You serve unconditionally, and I love that about you.
And not just because I often happen to be the recipient of said service.
Thanks for keeping my brood this weekend.
You're the best.

Let the weekend begin!

Reservations

Oh boy, am I excited.

I just booked my flight to California!!!

At the end of January, Corbin and I are going to take a quickie extended weekend trip to visit my family.



On the agenda:

1) a stop at Pink Berries. Like as soon as we leave the airport.

I'm going to need it after 6 hours of flying with an angry elf on my lap.

I'll probably insist that we hit In-N-Out burger on the way to Hollister, as well. Since we'll be passing a few of them anyway.



2) Mi Familia! My parents (hollah!) just moved into a new house. I can't wait to get my hands on my mom's closets and cabinets and organize them for her. I love arranging other people's furniture. It's like playing dollhouse for grown ups. I'm actually planning to spend most of my weekend helping them get unpacked and tucked into their new place. I also can't wait to get my hot little hands on my Grandma Lawrence's antique iron and convex glass picture frame. I'm saving room in my suitcase for both of them, Mom. Don't worry.



3) RUN! It was freezing here, today. Freezing. And on Facebook, all of my Ca peeps are whining things like "dang, I can't run today. it might rain." I love to run in the rain. Know what's not fun? Running a 1 mile lap around a shopping mall 8 times, because that's all you could find that didn't have any ice on it. Ok...that's sort of fun, too. But I'm really looking forward to running in short sleeves. maybe even shorts, if I'm real lucky. Shorts! No gloves, no hat, no underarmour, no jacket, no tights under my pants. no water bottles that start to turn into ice by the end of a long run. Just gimme some California sunshine! Everything is super green in Ca at this time of year, because it rains so much. I'll take rain. I'll definitely take green scenery.
I'll take anything if my family is there.



We're running the Rotary Club San Juan Bautista Mission 10 miler.


The San Juan Mission and grounds are gorgeous, and I have some great memories singing there. I'm super excited that the start and finish line of the race will be this rockin' building. Fabulous scenery. And 10 miles is a perfect race distance for me. I'm stoked, and hope to hit a PR at this one. San Juan and Hollister friends, come run with us! Or come watch and cheer so we run faster. Or just come to show support for Rotary and their worldwide efforts to fight Polio.

4) Super Taq will be consumed post-race. I can't risk eating there beforehand, because....well I don't live in Ca anymore. Sadly, this means I no longer have the necessary tolerance built up for a pre-race super taco. I'll make up for it by eating there several times on Saturday. I'm sure this is also a risk, since I fly home Sunday...but I'm willing to sacrifice the comfort of everyone else on my flight home to get my carne asada on.

5) The Oakland TempleI've said this 1,000 times before, but I'll say it again.

Driving 4 hours each way to our closest temple is not easy. The winter months make it a particularly difficult trip to plan. Two of our temple trips that we planned last year were shut down because of inclement weather. At best, the drive to OKC is an exhausting trip to make, but once we attend the temple....wow. The service that is done, the Spirit that is felt, and the feeling I leave with confirms my testimony that any sacrifices I have made, and more, are worth it. I love the temple.

My family is SO lucky to live only an hour and a half away from a temple. Local friends, can you imagine?! That's close enough to go and be home with time to spare before the kids are home from school! Amazing.

The Oakland Temple was closed for renovation the last time I was there, so I really hope to go this time, especially since I'll have unlimited access to a fazillion family members who will be begging to watch little Corbin for me while I sneak away for a few hours. That alone is a huge blessing in and of itself.

6) Color my mom's hair.

I am 100% certain that this will somehow end up on my agenda, so I'm just going to add it now. Mom, you should be prepared to A) color my hair in return, and B) have your picture taken whilst your hair is full of solution and you look like CindyLou Who. I can't resist. Plus, you have a birthday coming up, and I'm out of embarassing photos of you to post on this here blog.

Correction: I'm out of embarassing photos of you that don't also include an embarassing photo of me in them. We need to work on that.

Yay for California.

"Don't Stand, Don't Stand, Don't Stand So Close To Me"

Isn't it ironic how one can run a fever of 103 before they walk into the doctor's office, have a temp of 97.1 while IN the doctor's office, and then have a temp of 103 again by the time he or she gets home? Not that it matters...
I am quarantined for the next 24 hours.
Mr. Bad Karma has put a plague over my house. Today we went to the doctor for the third time this week. This time for me. I have strep and a double ear infection. It hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday afternoon, and luckily, Reese is already on an antibiotic, so the strep germs/ghost of death will hopefully pass over her. Good thing I was super productive yesterday morning, because I plan on doing NOTHING but sitting around and waiting for my Augmentin to kick in. If only mothers could "call in sick" once in awhile. I think I need to use some "personal leave" time...before I end up requiring a "mental health" day!

Have any good movies?
Wanna play scrabble?
Wanna babysit?


I know, I know. You all are thinking, "Wa-Waaaaa". But seriously. Strep?!