I turn 26…I think

         Yesterday I turned 26. But if you’d asked me a couple months ago, I would have told you I was turning 27. Math has never been my strong suit, and home video of my 6^th birthday provides definite proof of this fact. In the footage I recently came across, my dad asks me a seemingly straightforward question:

“How old are you turning, sweetheart?”

I respond by holding up all five fingers on my left hand and two on my right, then look confused for a second, and finally decide to put one finger down before smiling awkwardly with embarrassment.

         I’m sorry to report that not much has changed. While at my wedding dress fitting recently, I mentioned to my sister that I couldn’t believe I was going to be 27 by the time I got married. She looked doubtful, but I assured her that I was currently 26 and reminded her that I would be having birthday 21 days before the wedding. My sister was finally convinced. She shook her head and said,

“Wow, if you’ll be 27, that means I must be really getting old!”

A couple weeks later, I was in the kitchen attempting to hone my domestic skills when my sister called.

“Hi, I’m with mom and we were just talking…how old did you say you are?”

“26.”

“Well, Mom and I have been talking and we’ve figured out that you're not…you’re only 25!”

“I am? Oh.” 

When considering these two separate occurrences, I don’t know whether I have a problem or if it’s just that my age has never been much of a concern to me. I think for the purpose of my self-esteem, I’ll go with the latter.

To celebrate turning 26 (and getting a year of my life back), Mark planned a whole day for us yesterday. Our original plan for the morning was to grab a coffee and head to Capitola beach for breakfast, at a cute little joint I found online, Sweet Pea’s, and do some meandering around town. We swung by Peet’s and headed for the freeway. We had been cruisin’ easy for about 15 minutes and were pretty proud of ourselves when we finally caught up to the Labor Day beach traffic.

Deciding that we didn’t want to waste any of my birthday sitting in traffic, we flipped around and headed to Campbell for a breakfast of corn tacos filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and avocado, topped with salsa (him) and a bacon filled waffle with a side of scrambled eggs (me) at the ever popular and crowded Stack's. 

It really was delicious.

What do you do after you’ve just eaten a huge meal? Well, anything active was out of the question, so Mark took me to see a movie he never would have seen if he’d had a choice: Hit & Run. And despite having just eaten, we also bought popcorn, neither of us waiting for the other person’s hand to leave the bag before diving in with our own to grab a bunch of salty, buttery goodness. I loved the movie (perfect mixture of action, comedy, and romance) and Mark had the decency not to spoil the experience for me with his own opinion.

Rested and fueled by popcorn, we drove to Almaden Quicksilver Park for a nice nature hike to make us feel like we weren’t just fat couch potatoes. We took the same inclining trail that we’ve taken the few times we’ve been to the park and it was a very pleasant climb. The view from the top was all golden California hills and green trees.

Ignore my lovely windblown stands that decided to separate from the rest of my head. 

The only thing that sort of detracted from us fully communing with nature was the couple stalking us the whole way (almost 3 miles) up the trail. They never attempted to pass, but if we sped up in an effort to put some distance between us (and the rehashing of their Friday night) they kept right along. They didn’t even stop to admire the view to allow us a minute to get ahead. When we reached the top, they even walked over to the edge and stood behind us as we took in the view. Our suspicions were confirmed when the young woman admitted that she and her friend had been following us because they didn’t know where to go, to which the snarky part of my brain said, “Just walk uphill and then turn around when you’re done!” That’s all hiking really is anyway, walking uphill in the dirt. But it’s really fun.

On the way down I had to snap a picture of the trees because they’re changing color already. I just love fall; it’s my favorite season.

After our hike, we hurried home to shower before running out the door again for dinner at our favorite Sushi place, Mizu. I had the Cherry Blossom and he had the Titanic Fire Roll.

Minus having to call Mark out for texting during dinner, it was perfect. And really, it was perfect even if you added that moment back in, because as I’ve been told, Fantasy Football is important too.

Once dinner was over, we arrived at the San Jose Repertory Theater to see The Death of the Novel (starring none other than Vincent Kartheiser, aka Pete Campbell from Mad Men, a television staple at our home). The play, about a young writer who becomes somewhat of a recluse after his first novel skyrockets to the bestseller’s list, was excellent. I had high hopes going in and the performances far exceeded my expectations. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Vincent’s rumored girlfriend (and Mad Men costar) Alexis Bledel was there. I noticed her at the concession stand during intermission and immediately embarrassed myself when one of her entourage overheard me exclaim to Mark, “Let’s see what she gets!” What? I just wanted to know if famous people eat chocolate chip cookies too. (I’m happy to report that they do!)

Having some wine at the theater before show time

After the play, I was craving something naughty (i.e. not pre-wedding diet approved) so we walked next door to Safeway so I could pick up some Pringles. I bought a canister of Sour Cream & Onion AND BBQ. Best (worst?) decision ever. I ate both cans down to about 15 chips left in each—oops. At home we watched a little TV while I devoured my chips and then crashed. I haven’t had such a full and fun day in a long time. What a great way to celebrate turning…26! Thanks for making it happen, Mark!