Nick's Birthday

       The night before Nick's birthday, I decorated our apartment with streamers. Nick claims he does not like to make a big deal of his birthday, but I know that is code for "please, make a big deal of my birthday". He was really happy when he arrived home to the surprise. That night we went out to Cervantes to see a band called The Werks. They are friends of his from Dayton, OH, where he went to college. They even gave him a special birthday 'shout-out' on stage after midnight when his birthday officially began.

 

      The next day, we both had the day off. I made us breakfast. Bacon, cheddar, mozzarella, and muenster cheese omelets. They were very delicious.  

     After breakfast, we decided to go for a short walk outdoors. We went to Red Rocks Park and explored around for awhile. The weather was sunny and warm. Despite all the tourists, we had a really nice time. It was great to get outdoors and relax a bit.

     After taking a short cat-nap, I made us dinner. I had never tried this recipe before, but it turned out great. We had spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and asiago stuffed chicken, over linguine, topped with more mozzarella, asiago, and marinara. It was definitely a hit, and I will definitely be making it again.

     For dessert, I made my famous coconut cake, which has coconut and walnuts in the cake, coconut cream cheese frosting, and roasted coconut sprinkled on top. Again, I surprised Nick by adding the candles. Overall, he had a great birthday, and I might've enjoyed it a little too.

Birthday

       Though the novelty of my birthday has begun to wear, I still tried to enjoy it as much as possible. My birthday has held an extremely bittersweet meaning for the last two years. It's a wonderful reminder of life, surviving another year, and the coming Spring. Also, a painful reminder of violence and turmoil, which I suffered two years ago to the day. However, without forgetting my struggle, I have managed to focus on the sweet and not the bitter.
      My day started when I was startled awake by the sound of cat vomiting. This was immediately followed by the terrible realization that I woke up late on the second most important day of the quarter, dress rehearsal. I managed to make it to school only a minute late, and my teacher pitied me a bit after I relayed my cat vomit story.  So, after a hectic four hours of organizing, conceptualizing, and tweaking, we managed to produce a good take for our Public Service Announcement. Somehow, when I used to dream of being a director/producer, I never realized how truly stressful organizing a large group of people can be. I will not feel totally relieved until we can successfully produce our final product next week.
     After, I returned home to Nick, who took the day off from work. We walked to Moe's Bagels for breakfast. The weather was sunny and very warm. I wore flip-flops and a tank top for the first time of the year. Following a delicious bagel on the patio, he bought me a bouquet of what I think are Japanese Lilies before we headed home.

     After relaxing for the rest of the day, we went three blocks down the street to Dazzle, a jazz club. We were lucky enough to get the best table in the house. We both had wedge salads to start. Nick had four-cheese macaroni. I got the sirloin steak with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Also, our waiter gave us a coconut creme brulee, complete with a birthday candle, for desert. While we ate, the John Lake Ensemble played jazz standards. It was a wonderful dinner and birthday.

White Ranch and Pre-Birthday Celebrating

     Dad, Nick, Buddy, Moe, and I went to White Ranch for a hike today. Nick and I hadn't been for a hike in about a month because we have both been sick. The trail was pretty flat, at first, but turned into a long, steep hill. The sky was dark, gray, and threatening of rain. There was a light, cool wind, but otherwise the temperature was mild. Overall, it was just the butt-kicking I needed. My legs are tired, but I'm glad I got the exercise.

     After, we stopped for a bagel and didn't forget one for the dogs. Later, when Mom got home, we had Papa Murphy's pizza and Girl Scout cookies as an early birthday celebration. Dad burnt me three modern jazz CDs, and they both paid for me to have my hair cut and highlighted last Friday. Thanks Mom and Dad!