A Happy Birthday

Thanks for all of the happy birthday wishes. Aside from Chuck E Cheese it was a pretty good day. Of course it was so *hot* that Chuck E Cheese wasn't even that bad; at least it was air conditioned and it was during the hottest part of the day.

After the kid's party we went home and I ordered myself my birthday present; a digital camera. I got the Canon Elph 4 mega-pixel model. It should arrive in a few days; I can't wait! I also got a gift certificate to European Cross Stitch so now I have to decide what to buy with it.

My mom and a friend of hers came down for the weekend and stayed at the hotel where Jay's golf course is. Luke and I went to swim in the pool Saturday afternoon and then I went home to get ready for dinner. Jay had a gift certificate to El Bizcocho; a 5 star restaurant at the hotel. The chefs are French trained and it has won a number of awards in San Diego. My mom watched Luke for the evening.

It was amazing!! Oh my goodness it was the most incredible meal I have ever had. I had a lobster brioche appetizer (and I don't even eat seafood but it was incredible). Then a belgian endive salad and Jay and I got the chateaubriand tableside carving for two. The restaurant manager picked our wine for us; we had a great sauvignon blanc with the appetizer course and split a bottle of pinot noir with the rest of the meal. It was divine. And then came dessert...oh dessert. I had a grand marnier souffle, Jay had a bavarian cream with lime and raspberry thing (mille feuille or something like that?) and they brought out a chocolate cheesecake thing with a candle inside a blackberry for my birthday. It was all wonderful. There was so much food, but it was spread out over three hours. A real event!

In a way I feel so gluttonous, and it bothers me that there are people that are so wealthy that they eat like that all the time. Anyway, it was a really wonderful night and I won't be forgetting it anytime soon. It was one of the better birthdays I've had, for sure.

I did make it to the gym last night; it's been so hot that all I've wanted to do is stay as still as possible (oh how I wish we had A/C). At least the gym is air conditioned; even at 8:40 last night it was so hot when I went home.

Not much else is going on aside work of course. And I've been glued to the news in horror watching hurricane Katrina batter the south. I know a couple people down there and have a friend whose family is still in New Orleans (well, they evacuated though). I can't believe the extent of the damage and I know we're only just starting to see it. My heart and prayers go out to all those who are affected. Our gas jumped from $2.74/gallon on Sunday to $2.83/gallon on Monday (for the cheap stuff) so we're feeling the impact here a bit, but I know that is nothing compared to losing everything you have and being stuck in a shelter, unable to see what remains if anything.