Early Birthday Dinner

We went out to dinner tonight, to Babbo Bruno's, to celebrate my 55th birthday which is coming up on Monday. Fifty-five. 55. How can that possibly be? I look in the mirror and I don't see 55. I close my eyes and I don't feel 55. There must be some mistake.

Dinner was delicious... as usual. However, we thought the prices were a bit high... I think they're raising the prices a little bit at a time, thinking that no one will notice. Downtown prices in Friendswood. Now why is that? I tell everyone we know about this restaurant, because we think the food is just so good. But really, do the prices have to be downtown-high? I think we've been going there so long now that when something isn't perfectly perfect, we notice it. My husband and I can both tell when the owner hasn't cooked our meal. Not that the food isn't good, it just isn't the way Stefano cooks it, and it isn't "plated" the way he would do it.

I keep wondering what will happen to this restaurant when they move to their larger location in a few months. More tables will (hopefully for the owner) mean more customers, which will mean more orders coming into the kitchen. Stefano can't possibly cook everything if there will be so many customers in the restaurant. And I don't care what anyone says--- you can give one recipe to ten people, and you'll get ten different tastes, ten different versions of the same recipe.

But we had a nice dinner........ K was there, which is always a plus because she makes any dinner there extra-special, and we miss her when she's not working--- which is why we went tonight instead of Monday night. K told us that she and her mother will be coming to our Valentine's Charades party, so we were happy to hear that as well.

We went to Target after dinner, which is on the way home. I hadn't been there for a while, and I wanted to see if they had the blank greeting card-stock that I had been buying in Hobby Lobby. They did, and I bought different sizes and colors, plus some stick-on embellishments for the cards. I'm getting into this card-thing, and enjoying it. After that, we stopped at La Madeleine for some dessert to take home. (We didn't get dessert at the restaurant.) We were hoping for carrot cake, which is our "standard" birthday cake around here, but they only make carrot cake now around Easter-time. What? Since when did the French bakeries decide that carrot cake is a seasonal item? And why Easter? Carrots.... bunnies eat carrots. The Easter bunny. Is that why? Give unto me a blessed break.

Last night, my husband and I drove to the local high school, to see young Miss C perform with her Color Guard group. Of course, C was exceptional, and we told her that when the practice was over. We were more impressed with C than with the director's routine, but of course I wouldn't say that. Today, the group went to the competition in Spring-Cypress to perform the same routine... they came in 5th, out of 14. She called me right after the performance, to give me the news, and to tell me they'd be "home in time for the party." Party? What party? "The Valentine party!" ........ I told C that the Valentine Charades party was two weeks away.... she somehow thought it was tonight. C also has a competition on the night of the Valentine party, so now she's keeping her fingers crossed that they get home from that competition as early as they did today.

So far, we have seventeen RSVPs for the Valentine's party. I'm still waiting to hear from 13 more. Plus young C and a friend, if they get back from the competition in time, plus my husband and myself. Another big party, like the Halloween party... without costumes. Usually, though, everyone tends to wear pink or red at our Valentine's parties. And then there's SteinMart... anyone who shops there can find dozens of heart-embellished outfits.

Long day today... we were up before dawn. I had planned on going to yard sales, but it was raining this morning, so I just stayed home and listed things on eBay instead. The rain cleared up at noon-time, though... the sun came out and we had a beautiful day. Hopefully, we'll have more of the same tomorrow, minus the morning rain.