Still not 100% back to normal after my ankle surgery, I tend to get tired a lot easier and worn out even with a few minutes of walking. My swelling, although the scale says otherwise, seems to be focused on my middle. My personal care, that usually includes regular haircuts, mani/pedis and facial treatments, well, hasn't happened in months.
Compliments aside (because my friends are just too kind), I know I don't look my best, so I try not to do to much socializing to avoid anyone focusing on my girth and unruly eyebrows....not to mention my foot and my unsightly sneakers.
Honestly, I'm a bit embarrassed with myself physically. That being the major contributor to wanting to keep everything low-key this weekend. Which is, if you know me, very unlike me.
To start, hubby wanted to know "what's for dinner?" on Friday, to which I responded: "I want something low-key and local."
Argentinean Empanadas seemed like the answer...
Well, either the owner felt sorry for my gimpy foot, or really liked us, because we got complimentary dessert to boot! That small gesture made me super happy and refocused my "self pity" to excitement for what was to be over the weekend.
On Saturday my hubby told me about this "amazing bagel place" in Burbank. We "had to go there," he told me. So we drove across town to Burbank for bagels...and a movie.
The bagels, nothing extraordinary, was basically an outpost of a local Westside joint. Honestly? I appreciated the effort - hubby doesn't like breakfast, so I know he picked this place because of me.
After the bagel, we headed to Downtown Burbank for a special screening of the The Lego Movie. We got there early enough to connect with a few bloggy friends, including Miz Meliz and Monica from My Life is a Journey.
The movie was entirely too cute for words. We laughed, and laughed, and laughed...and we both picked-up on the song "Everything is Awesome." Trust me, you don't want to listen to it - you. won't. stop. singing. it.
After the movie we grabbed a quick snack before we headed back home to take care of our girl. Later in the evening we headed out to Valencia (AKA Awesome Town) to see my in-laws. They had "secretly" planned a birthday-night-out for me.
Being that I don't like chain restaurants, and Awesome Town is the capital of every chain restaurant in America, I knew that my choices were pitiful at best: chain burgers or chain pasta.
I. was. wrong.The in-laws went out of their way to pick a restaurant where I could eat (I'm unapologetically a snobby eater). I think they like the place, but I know it was picked just for me. Which made the dinner even more special, that and the fact that I was starving after only having a bagel and a shake earlier in the day.
Did I mention the food was good? Yes. it. sure. was.
Once we were done with dinner I mistakingly thought we were heading back home. Truth is, my in-laws had planned to host dessert at their place and surprise me with a gift.
It was such a beautiful evening, that I couldn't help but think that it was just too nice. Too perfect. Something had to go wrong, right?
Wrong.
Hubby planned a beautiful evening at home, together with bad TV and wine (for me). It was just so...perfect!
As for Sunday, we had no plans.
Nothing, other than avoiding the Super Bowl, was discussed. My only ask? I wanted to go to China Town and see the parade while munching on Dim Sum.
Hubby's response? "Whatever you want to do."
This my friends, is probably the first time in the five years we've been together that everything just flowed so seamlessly even though we had zero plans.
Everything from driving to Downtown, which is usually a chore in itself, parking, and even waiting for a table, was not a problem.
The parade, unfortunately, was the day before. So other than seeing a dragon here and there, we missed the Chinese New Year Festivities.
After dinner, hubby wanted to take me elsewhere. My mom coincidently called as we were getting in our car: "You should see an exhibit that's in L.A. right now. It ends today. It's supposed to be fantastic," she told me.
Problem was, we had no idea who she was talking about, and what museum she referred. But with a few clicks on my iPhone and a little search savvy, I found what she was referring to.
Again, we drove home to take out our girl and later head out to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to see the "Under the Mexican Sky" exhibit, which showcased the work of Gabriel Figueroa.
God, I love how cultured my mamma is - for if it wasn't for her, we would have missed this great exhibit!
While we were at LACMA, we also stopped by the DVF Wrap 40 exhibit, which really was nothing more than every woman's dream closet - with lots of pop art - and a mini reunion of some of LA's fashion bloggers and self absorbed hipsters.
We also, of course, had to stop by for a quick snack, which for me was a Mexican hot chocolate, and of course, a croissant. (Did I mention I love croissants?) Hubby, throughout all this, was incredibly loving and thoughtful.
The "loving" being part of his usual personality, the "thoughtful," being him trying extra hard to make my birthday amazing.
He succeeded on both fronts.
I thought, honestly, that after subjecting him to a large space full of dresses on mannequins he would be spent, but he wasn't.
Again, another stop back home to check-in on our girl, and to watch a little of the Super Bowl. I think we watched all of two minutes before we cuddled on the couch. It's moments like this that remind me why it's ok not to have kids. All this would be taken away, and I think I'm just to darn selfish to give it up.
Moving on...
Hubby, again, still not tired, my foot, at this point is a bit swollen, suggests that I "ice it," before heading out to close the evening with a movie. "A chick flick," would be just fine with him, he told me.
So of course, I picked the only one I knew I would never be able to see otherwise "Labor Day."
Regrettably, I forgot that late-night chick flicks have a tendency to be the preferred night-out-with-the-gals event in town. So of course, the chit-chatty gals behind us and in front of us, made it almost impossible to focus on the sweetness of the movie.
My hubby and me being one of the two (maybe three) couples in the theater (it was literally empty), got a lot of attention from the folks around us. Mainly women. Most single - at least from the conversations I could overhear.
It was, if I could call it that, the only downside of the day, and a reminder of a life, although sometimes I pretend to miss, that I really don't.
So in that regard I feel blessed and oh-so-happy.
My birthday, with all of the greatness of such an awesome weekend, was the start of a new year for me - and a new perspective on my marriage.
Our marriage.
With all of our ups and downs (because God knows this marriage had a very slim chance of making it past the first year), my marriage is probably one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me.
Happy birthday to me.
