Thursday was my birthday and I’m only now getting around to writing about it. It was a very nice day, if low key. Then again, low-key is about all I can handle these days.
It started off with a nice treat: Isabella let me sleep in until 6:30. (not very late, I know; but better than some days, especially since she’s been teething recently.) And since Dom had a dental appointment that morning there was no alarm to disturb my sleep in. And I got to actually see Dom that morning because he didn’t have to rush out the door.
Having my dad here made the day a little extra special too. He offered to take me out for a special birthday lunch. We went to Finz in Salem, one of my favorite places to go. We sat out on the deck, overlooking the marina. Dad had a grilled haddock, I think, and we split an order of fried calamari. I had a wonderful watermelon salad: a 1/4 inch thick slice of watermelon topped with mixed greens that were surrounded by two thin slices of cucumber. It was perfectly dressed, just enough to be interesting, not so much as too be goopy or even to give an off taste to the watermelon underneath. I also had a lovely tuna tartare dressed with a wasabi-soy marinade and mixed with mango, avocado, cilantro, and red onion. It’s one of my favorite dishes and the real reason why I chose Finz for lunch.
We had an invitation from my sister-in-law to go to the wading pool in the afternoon; but I had to decline because I’d agreed to be home to meet the health inspector (something to do with a legal requirement that needed to be fulfilled because our apartment had been vacant for a certain amount of time before we leased it. So we came back and had a quiet afternoon at home, which was maybe better anyway because my dad had offered to babysit while Dom and I went out for a cozy romantic dinner.
For dinner I chose Cilantro, another favorite restaurant in Salem. They specialize in Mexican cuisine. Not tacos and burritos, not border food; but fancier, fine dining. We had an appetizer of sopas: soft, round corn dough filled with sauce and topped with Chihuahua cheese (kinda like spicy mini pizzas). Dom got Tampiquena (sp?), thinly sliced, marinated steak served with a side of enchiladas and the standard spiced rice and refried black beans. I had my favorite chicken enchiladas with a verde sauce, also served with rice and refried black beans. Dom got a nice glass of wine, which of course I couldn’t have.
I was very tired by the end of the evening, so we went on home. Had I had more energy it would have been nice to do dinner and a movie. It has been more than a year since I saw a movie in the theater. Oh well.
My dad brought a load of books from my Amazon wish list as well as a dvd of Miss Potter, which I’m anxious to watch. He also took me shopping for a new glider rocker. My old one was damaged in the move and the arm finally had to be removed completely this week because it was splintering and just too dangerous for Bella to play with. I sat in every rocker in the store and found a really comfy one. It wasn’t in stock, though, so I’m looking forward to being able to pick it up sometime next week.
Dom has promised to take me shopping to replace the chain on a favorite necklace, an amber piece my dad and sister bought for me in Poland. Bella broke it when we were on our way to Texas back in January and I’ve been carrying it around in my wallet ever since.
I am also expecting a couple of more books from mom and dad to replace one that I already had but hadn’t taken off my wishlist yet. Once those arrive, I will be able to use the gift certificate that Dom’s mother gave me to snatch up a few more titles.
Books, family, and good food. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
