Celebrating Birthday Week

Some folks prefer to let birthdays slide. Not me… uh uh… I love my birthday.

With all the holidays coming up, I’m also celebrating my birthday. Lots of folks don’t particularly like celebrating their birthdays. It means getting older and actually acknowledging it. They prefer to let birthdays slide. Not me. I love my birthday. I’ve been known to celebrate the entire month of November. David reminded me that this is not a ‘significant’ birthday, i.e. a decade celebration or even a 5-year, so I’m cutting back to just celebrating for a week. The challenge, of course, is to cram into one week what I’d usually have a whole month to work at.

Patti and Paul took us out for a birthday lunch last Friday. Cards have been arriving in the mail. David’s gift arrived early and though he tried to hide it, I was well aware of its arrival as well as its contents. Denny’s informed me I can get a free Grand Slam breakfast if I’m so inclined (I’m not.). Our insurance agent sent his regards, probably glad I’m still paying the premiums.

David suggested dinner out on the town. Great idea until I started looking for a restaurant that really excited me. Sad to say in a city the size of Las Vegas, I found nothing to pique my interest. I’d already decided I wanted cioppino, that rich seafood stew we first sampled together 35+ years ago at Scoma’s on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. It was a romantic lunch that lasted for hours and involved bottles of crisp chardonnay to accompany a most memorable meal. Trying to recreate the ambiance and the meal is nearly impossible, but we do have the recipe and making it at home seemed like the perfect alternative.

We spent Sunday and Monday on a scavenger hunt for the ingredients… fresh shrimp, some cod, calamari, mussels and clams in the shell, fresh parsley, and basil. On Tuesday morning, we picked up one of my favorite desserts... fresh Italian cannoli at the Great Buns Bakery along with some fresh crusty bread.

A very bad place to visit when you’re hungry!

Carbs, calories, and cholesterol be damned for my birthday dinner. A couple of bottles of white wine were chilling in the fridge. Paul and Patti joined us for the birthday celebration. It was wonderful!

The cioppino was awesome. Unfortunately, we spent the evening eating, drinking, and celebrating so much, I forgot to take photos. Thanks to Noshing with the Nolans for this cioppino pic and Micah & Christine for the cannoli photo.

The cannolis for dessert were great.

And I’m still celebrating.

I have new boots… thank you, David. Just in time for our holiday trip to the East Coast. Lin sent a very unique tea advent calendar which I’ll take advantage of throughout December.

Friends and family called. Other friends are taking us out to lunch on Wednesday. On Thursday, we plan to see a movie and get a super-giant-humongous popcorn to share (which will probably cost as much as the dinner out we would have had). No dinner required that night.

I’m not feeling any older, just fortunate. I’m healthy and loved and still in love. What better birthday gifts can you receive?

I did, however, request a rain check for a lobster dinner when we’re back in New England during the holidays. Might as well keep the celebration going. It’s a long time till next November.