I had an incredible birthday yesterday. One of the best I can remember in a long time. Sarah had a rough time the day before my birthday though. First she had some secret plans to plant my new FM transmitter for my iPod in the car on our way to Austin. She couldn’t find any and called me completely distraught. It was supposed to be a surprise. So the next day we stopped by the whore of Babylon to pick up a new iTrip for me.
Then when I came home from work I walked in the house to the delicious smell of my favorite cake. As I rounded the corner, however, I saw Sarah in the kitchen with tears in her eyes. “I ruined it… It looks like a cream cheese sausage ball!” she cried. Regardless of appearances it was the most delicious and moist spice cake I’ve had.
For my actual birthday yesterday we went to Kerbey Lane Cafe first for an incredible lunch. I love eating at restaurants where I have a difficult time deciding because they have so many vegetarian dishes to choose from. We started off with an appetizer sampler that included potato flautas, smoked chicken quesadilla, nacho chips, and corn cake nachos served with Ranch dressing and Chipotle mayo. Kerbey Lane even has a seasonal menu of dishes made from local ingredients. I settled on the Pumpkin Pesto Linguini with grilled acorn squash. I topped off the meal with a cup of fair trade coffee.
Then we went to Barnes and Noble to spend a gift card. As usual I was tormented with having to choose. I found The Meaning of Jesus with Marcus Borg and NT Wright and was fascinated by the friendship described in the introduction. But I also wanted the latest Patty Griffin album and the collaboration between Robert Plant and Alison Kraus. In the end I settled on a deal they had on classics, inspired by Open Source’s recent 3 part interview with Harold Bloom. So, I ended up with Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” , Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” and T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land and Other Poems”. These are works I hear referenced all the time that I haven’t read yet. They are classics that I know I will keep around my library so I thought it was worth buying.
Next it was on to Gymboree and the Sharper Image where we both got free massages in their space age massage chairs. Sarah was craving sherbet ice cream (It was 70+ degrees). As you know pregnant women cannot be denied their cravings. So, we went around the corner to Amy’s Ice Cream, only to discover they had NO sherbet ice cream. Since defeat was not an option we left and headed back to Cedar Park. We gave Marble Slab a try… again no sherbet. We got ice cream anyway and it was delicious. We sat outside eating ice cream in January. Sometimes you gotta love Texas.
Then we went to the in-laws where Asher was hanging with grandma and grandpa. There was yet another birthday cake after dinner loaded with all 29 candles. The before and after pictures of me blowing out the candles is telling this year. When a room gets that smoky from your birthday cake it means you are getting old.
Asher was amazed by all the candles.
Thanks to everyone who wished me happy birthday on Facebook. It was a great day.
