My Next Thirty Years

Well, I've been 30 for over a week and it's been great so far. As I've said, I love my birthday, so I stretched out the celebration for a handful of days. Here are some of the highlights:

On the morning of my birthday, my mom and I met at a restaurant for breakfast and she presented me with a birthday sash and tiara. Personally, I think it may be a good idea to wear this combo more often; it scored me a slice of chocolate mousse cake (which was a little odd after my omelet, but who am I to turn down free food?!?) and a coupon for a complimentary appetizer on my next visit. Then, we went to the office, where I had two birthday cakes, a VERY decorated desk, and lots of birthday wishes/gifts/cards.

That evening, Jersey and I headed over to happy hour at a convenient chain restaurant with an awesome bartender. Oh, and Jersey gave me a different sash and tiara to wear ("Birthday Bitch").


We were joined by my mom


And about 10 friends/coworkers. It was a lot of fun and I behaved rather well. One of my friends got a little too tipsy and got dragged out by her hubby. I don't think I was really drunk til toward the end of the night when one of my friends offered to buy us a couple of drinks...we had already closed out our tab, but I went ahead and had those last two cocktails. Honestly, I don't get drunk very often, so I won't apologize for being goofy on my 30th birthday. Plus, we had planned ahead and Jersey was driving. I'm not exactly sure how Max felt when I got home and scooped him up...


Ah, love the glassy eyes.

On Friday, my mom, Jersey, and I drove to California to spend the weekend at Disneyland. And, as if that wasn't enough, my sister flew down from the Bay Area, Jersey's sister flew in from Albany (where she's attending college), and Jersey's best friend drove down from LA. The six of us exhausted ourselves, but we all had a blast!


One of my favorite parts of the weekend was when we went to dinner on Sunday night. I had decided to pick a restaurant outside of Disneyland so that my best friend and her husband would be able to meet up with us. With her there, we had our wedding party intact:


Her sister (second from left) is her maid of honor; my sister (second from right) is mine. Her best friend (far left) is her bridesmaid; my best friend (far right) is mine. It was great to have everyone meet at least once before all the actual wedding stuff.

My entire birthday celebration was terrific and I look forward to rocking the next ten years! Whooooo hooooooo!

The Handholders Guide to Jamaica

While I admit that I've been quite lazy about posting here in the past couple of months, I will excuse myself for my absence from 1/17-1/24. The reason? I was in Jamaica! So, without further ado, here's more about my Jamaican vacation...


Jersey and I arrived on Saturday afternoon after about about 16 hours of travel (including two flights, a layover, customs, and a shuttle ride). Just a note to some of our fellow travelers: we understand that this process can be a pain, but please pull the stick out of your ass, chill the fuck out, and realize that some of your bad vacation karma may be due to your shitty attitude. We were appalled at how rude some people could be in such beautiful and friendly place.


Quick note: These pics were all taken on the one cloudy day. Most days were actually beautiful and sunny, we just forgot to take pics those days.

Our room was part of "the Quad", which surrounded the clothing optional pool. The room featured a mirror on the ceiling, a jetted tub, and windows that opened to the common area. Here is the room:

And the view from our window:


This pool is where we sunbathed almost every day after our nice buffet breakfast (made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, crispy bacon, smoothies...). Again, it was clothing optional, so I was totally okay with wearing absolutely nothing. We did spend one day at the resort's nude pool, just to say we did it, but this pool was more convenient and quiet. We read (I got through 3 1/2 books!) and drank lots of rum from the swim-up bar. Wonderful.

Lunch was usually spent at the buffet, where they had daily activities or contests for guests. Jersey loved the sandwiches at the buffet, though I really liked the jerk chicken and pork at the Jamaican restaurant. Plus, the Jamaican restaurant had this view:In the afternoon, I usually took a nap...sun, food, and rum make me tired! We also went kayaking (and forgot the camera that day), walked along this boardwalk:


Rested in this hammock:


Read while on this beach:


Went down this waterslide (it even goes through the disco):

Shot pool in the pool:


And got a massage in this bungalow(ish) area:


At night, we had dinner at the buffet, the Italian restaurant (which was a little disappointing), or the Japanese restaurant. Each night was a different theme, so lots of people dressed up (pirate, retro, toga, etc.), but the only night for which we dressed up was lingerie night. We hit both the piano bar and disco that night, but we're not used to staying up late, so we didn't party for very long. The other nights were spent quietly in our room, holding each other tight.

Oh, the "handholders" part of this post title comes from a woman who saw us on our way to dinner one evening. Jersey and I were holding hands and we passed a small group gathered near the pool. This woman noticed and said "it's about time two women held hands around this place" and everyone nodded in agreement. From that point on, we were called "the handholders" by that group of friends and we thought it was cute.

So, those are the Jamaican vacation highlights. It was wonderful to relax (no phone! no computer!) for a week and we look forward to doing it again in a few years. Given the wedding planning, we know it will take a while to do something as big as this again (even our honeymoon will be relatively simple), but it was incredibly special.


Anyone else have big vacation plans for the near future?

Ten Things Tuesday

Ok, I'm on the bandwagon! Now, if I could just keep to this cool blogging schedule...

This theme was, as previously mentioned, stolen from Mrs. Chili. Thank you for the great idea.

"Ten trips Jersey and I plan to take (in no particular order)"

1. Western Canada - Specifically Vancouver, though I would not object to spending enough time to see more of the area. Actually, I'd love to take a road trip through California, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Montana, and Idaho.

2. Eastern Canada - Specifically Montreal. I have been to Montreal twice and loved it very much. Though I haven't been to France, Montreal seems very much like what a mini-France might be. The cobblestone streets, french cafes, street vendors...ah, it's just pretty.

3. Boston/Cape Cod - Jersey and I have both been to these places with our families and friends, but we'd love to experience them together. Plus, I've never been to P-town and would like to check it out. I know we'd both love to be able to see the beautiful autumn leaves, so maybe a trip next October...

4. Knott's Berry Farm (CA), Magic Mountain (CA), DisneyWorld (FL) - Ok, so this would be more than one trip, but it's all the same idea. I love amusement parks! I used to have a season pass to Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm is where my parents met, and DisneyWorld is the super version of Disneyland (where Jersey and I went in May and will return to in February). I've been to all three...Jersey has only been to DisneyWorld.

5. Europe, Part 1 - Italy, France, Spain. I've always heard that the people in Spain are super friendly. And I can deal with all the Italian men who will grab my ass.

6. Texas - It's probably not a place in which Jersey and I should flaunt our relationship, but I have always had a good feeling in Texas. I've kinda hopped around the state, but I'd love to do the San Antonio Riverwalk with Jersey. And I've never, ever heard a bad thing about Austin, so I'd love to spend some time there. Plus, I have family outside of Ft. Worth.

7. Europe, Part 2 - Germany, the Netherlands. I think Jersey just really wants some beer. The Netherlands has plenty of vices as well. Hmmmm.

8. Notre Dame, Cleveland, Chicago - Ok, they're not right near each other, but I think they're close enough for a reasonable road trip. Jersey's got a thing for Notre Dame and the Cleveland Browns. I'd love to see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Once we're in the general neighborhood, we might as well head up to Chicago. I haven't been there in years.

9. Fairfield University (CT) - I graduated from Fairfield several years ago and have only been back twice since. I went through a lot while I was there, moreso than the generic college student, but I really did love it there. I'd love to walk around campus with Jersey and remember the little things that I've forgotten.

10. Europe, Part 3 - England, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland. Arguably the most important of our Europe trips. Jersey is fiercely Irish. I've got a bit of that, along with the English and Icelandic background. Of all the European jaunts, this is the personal one.

I didn't include our upcoming trip to Jamaica because, well, that's already booked and paid for! I also didn't mention the many trips we will take to Southern CA (where I'm from) or New Jersey (where she's from), since those are regular trips we take each year. But this is a fun list and I look forward to crossing each one off!

California Dreamin'

I love my sister and miss her every day. I love California and miss it every day. When I have the opportunity to go to California to see my sister, well, that's just damn near perfect. This past weekend, Jersey and I flew to the Bay Area to stay with Lara, and we managed to squeeze in some sightseeing in San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Santa Cruz. Though I've been to the area plenty of times, this was all brand new to Jersey. Here are some of the highlights (with a few lowlights thrown in):

Jersey and I decided to stop at a Mexican bar/grill in the airport to have margaritas and nachos prior to our flight. Worst.service.ever. And that's coming from two people with almost two decades of food service between them. I just don't think it's a good idea to ignore your table for 20-25 minutes after they have finished all of their food/drinks...they have a plane to catch and I'm guessing most of them will not hesitate to bail on their bill if it's between that and missing their flight. There was a lot more to this story than just that, but it was the last straw. I did pay my bill. I did not leave much of a tip.

The reason we didn't miss our flight was because the plane was late, so all was good. It got even better when we discovered that the airline doesn't charge the standard $4.00 for a cocktail when the flight is delayed. Free booze is their way of apologizing. I forgive them.

This was our first look at Lara's new place. Nice digs, cute cat. Plus, she gave up her bed to Jersey and me, which was very kind.

Saturday morning we drove to San Francisco, specifically the Pier 39 area. I love San Francisco as much as my sister hates it. It has character, which is the common trait of all of my favorite cities. Granted, I've never taken the time necessary to truly explore its depths, but that's on my short list of things to do. We saw the barking sea lions, took pictures of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge from afar, and enjoyed some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Oh, and I bought a pound of fudge that I really didn't need, but I gave myself special "traveler's dispensation" for all my caloric insanity. Shortly after purchasing the fudge, we walked to Ghiradelli's Square, where I giggled over a peanut butter hot fudge sundae. Mmmmm.

Despite being exhausted, my sister then drove us over to Haight-Ashbury because she's a doll who was willing to cater to our vacation whims. I had only been there once before and Jersey had been told to check it out by her mom. Our first stop in the famous neighborhood was in a cramped used book store that got us greatly excited...until we stepped inside. Almost immediately we were greeted, not by a "hello" or "welcome", but by a sneer, a once-over, and an accusation that our purses were too big. We were then followed around the store by one employee, while the other remained perched in her wicked throne behind the counter. Apparently the three clean-cut girls posed a huge threat to their business. Anyway, we were still happy to look for hidden bookstore treasures and proceeded to the checkout once we had found them. Then, a problem. For the first time in my 11 years of credit card experience, I came across a place that has a major issue with accepting credit cards with "see ID" written on the back. Now, I respect a business's right to run things by their own standards. If they choose not to accept "see ID" on the back of a credit card, that's their prerogative. What I do not respect is the decision to read us the riot act about how we were participating in fraudulent criminal behavior; the decision to treat us like the hoodlums they assumed we were from the moment we entered the store. I get that Haight-Ashbury isn't exactly Rodeo Drive, but that's no reason to assume the worst about everyone. What a shitty attitude to have through life. And what a shitty way to lose my business.

On the way home, we cheered up with a stop at Boston Market. I love me some Boston Market, but there aren't any in Vegas. And, yes, my day really did seem to revolve around food.

Sunday we headed to Palo Alto (after a stop at In-N-Out for an Animal Style Double-Double) and, specifically, to Stanford for a women's soccer game. Jersey and I don't know anyone on the team, but we thought it would be fun to see some sort of sporting event while we were there. Following a mini-tour of the University, we strolled downtown and filled up on some yummy sushi. Jersey really wasn't feeling well, so we didn't do much else. Just laughed a lot and enjoyed being with my sister.

Day three of our weekend was for my first trip, Lara's second, to Santa Cruz. It was definitely a casually silly day, but a nice way to end the vacation. We just walked up and down the boardwalk, eating junk food (which I suppose surprises nobody who has read this post from the beginning), people watching, and playing midway games. As for the running joke about who is the "man" in our relationship (it totally depends on the given activity in question, for the record), I totally got the designation yesterday when I won a stuffed monkey and gave it to Jersey with a kiss. Yay for smiles over something so child-like!

Alas, all good things must end, so we said goodbye to Lara at the airport, all of us looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend and our next gathering. I really had a great time spending time with my sister, sharing more firsts with Jersey, and seeing the two of them get along so well. Now, it's back to work and a countdown to the holiday season. I hope everyone else had a great weekend!