the birthday-weekend recap

* on saturday, during heavy rains, my mom and i tooled around the ‘burbs, window shopping for furniture and meandering through big grocery stores in search of free samples. we were surprisingly successful in the latter endeavour, thanks to a newly opened longo’s. there, we had DELICIOUS grilled sausage sliced onto grilled bread with melted fancy cheese (can’t remember what kind), cups of salad, white-nectarine slices, assorted pastries, assorted artisan breads, rosemary-and-sea-salt crostinis and chunks of cheese. had we been so inclined, we also could have enjoyed slices of watermelon!

* lunch was a little disappointing. we decided to go to an all-day-breakfast restaurant for pancakes, which were mediocre. but GIGANTIC.

* we stopped at a petsmart to look at cute cats. unfortunately, the adoption centre was, on that day, being manned by a crazy cat lady, so we left shortly after we arrived.

* i cleaned my parents’ house while they went to mass on saturday evening, and then i made the BEST sandwich i’ve had in a while. nothing fancy, just black forest ham, grated jarlsberg, and garlic-and-herb seasoning on a freshly made, still-slighty-warm baguette. sometimes, a healthy appetite can turn a simple meal into supreme deliciousness.

* then we had CAKE! :-D mom made her trademark whoopie-pie cake, which is simply a gigantic whoopie pie in the form of a sheet cake instead of many individual sandwiches. so, so, so good. young beatrix arrived after a day out in the country and gave me my birthday present – some soap and lotion that i love, and a new charm for my pandora bracelet. then she, mom and i sat around in the front living room, which has been completely cleared out in anticipation of the arrival of a new couch and chair tomorrow. YB and i took to some pillows and blankets on the (carpeted) floor, and mom enjoyed the only remaining (and big and comfy) chair. kyle circulated from lap to lap, and we just lounged.

* on sunday, trix drove me back to my place to drop off some groceries, and then we headed north for some shopping. well, she shopped and i browsed, but it was productive. given that it was the day that had been set aside for my family-birthday dinner, and mom was prepping my favourite fake-BBQ chicken (i.e., it’s made in the oven, not on a BBQ), we opted not to eat lunch out. plus, thunderstorms were on their way.

* we spent the afternoon making party nuts (sweet & spicy piri piri pecan pralines! sooo good!), and then napping. everyone in the house, including mr. poo, was drowsy and, in short order, asleep by 2:30pm.

* after a delicious dinner, i headed home. the thunderstorms arrived as i made my way, as did massive, TORRENTIAL downpours. i had to walk all of two blocks from the streetcar stop to the front door of my building, but was completely soaked by the time i arrived inside. my umbrella was entirely useless against that kind of rain. it was like a monsoon! crossing the street in my teva flip flops, i tried my best to sidestep the rivers (about 3-5” deep!) of water rushing past. i eventually gave up and decided to purposely walk through them... which was actually HUGE amounts of fun! when you’re already drenched, and your tevas are saturated with water, it makes sense to thoroughly enjoy – not avoid – mother nature’s supersoaking.

* after i showered and put on my pyjamas, i sat down to watch The Blind Side. then i went to bed. it was a good weekend, and it did a lot to soothe the sadness left over from thursday.

* onwards...