It was my 31st birthday yesterday (Sun) and what a good time it was …. First, a visit to St. Anne’s where Bob, Sr did the 8 am reading and my darling baby boy was sooooo good. Only at the end did he open his eyes and stir a bit. But he was adorable in his little blue velour jumper with a reindeer whose antlers stuck out of the thing. And matching hat. He’s a cutey ….
Then off to brunch with La Familia Lising y Armijo. My parents and my inlaws (wow!), my bro and sis, gram and lu and mama estes joined baby Ry and Bobby and I for some serious grub at Hs Lordship’s Champagne brunch on the Berkeley Marina. The buffet was set against the windows which looked out over the water, sooooo pretty and such a nice sunny day. I’m a blessed chick!!
It was a whole lotta eating, with people having to take breaks in between plates, and very yummy. I do have to say it was a strange but enticing hodge podge of food – standard brunch fare – omelette bar, turkey and primerib carving station, belgium waffle and frenchtoast, then a sushi stand, fresh salmon, shrimp, crawdads (!!!) and crab legs next to the muffins. That’s right, I said sushi. And let me not forget the Korean bbq shortribs and teriyaki pork chops and rice right next to the cheese blintz.
And all that was at the opposite end of the buffet from the mexican food – everything from enchiladas to fresh fajitas to nachos. Scary, right? Then there was still the salad bar with tuna and assorted mixed salads, cheese and crackers precariously stacked, and then a host of desserts that looked a bit better than they tasted. Well, I nabbed some tasty tidbits, but the creme brulee was really a chinese egg pie in scorched sugar disguise ….. The best part, which I forgot to partake of, was the frozen ice cream drumstick cones. Uh huh, there was an ice cream freezer there ….. helado ….. helados …..
As if that wasn’t celebration enough, there were gifts galore from the famalia…..Lots of pretty clothes, nifty cards (my mom’s were so sweet and personalized, my mum-in-law’s made me teary, and lu’s mama was quite the elegant and pretty thing – mom’s know how to pick em!) And Bobby did a major damage at Sephora with some luxe spa type items from bliss …. The two gifts most memorable for the quirk factor were of course, the IRON from LU – the need for one obvious with the shirt I was wearing for the brunch …. and the hand made (hand knotted?) blankie from NAY. That thing rocks, and I’m not sharing it with anyone. Finally a blanket to call my own, don’t have to borrow Ryan’s anymore!
And then the fun don’t stop, don’t quit – after a little nap at the casa, packed baby Ry off to his grandma and grandpa Armijo and went up to the city for a Nutcracker performance made more interesting by the challenges of a blackout in SF. Luckily, they hooked up a huge PG&E truck to the War Memorial Bldg which acted as a power generator and had enough lights to do the performance. So after a trip to the darkened bathroom, illuminated by a tiny Japanese woman holding a flashlight and a few bonus Christmas carols performed by the symphony, we enjoyed the Nutcracker. I’d forgotten how fun all the music is and the bright and happy the performances were. Ahhhhh, it was bliss. Had a bite to eat afterwards and picked up the littlest Armijo who I heard was screaming his little head off by the time we made our way to pick him up. But that was a long and busy day for him, so it was understandable.
Those Armijo Juniors. You think we’d stay home now and again ….. But it was a lovely birthday and thanks to my hunny bunny who made it all possible and also all of you who called/emailed nice wishes. Can’t wait to see what the next year has in store!
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