Sharing Belated Birthday Celebration

You really don’t need to spend a ton of money or do anything fancy to celebrate the day of your birth. Hubby and I use to play that over the top celebration day. But now it’s more about quality time and just being together.

Typically we’ll push a birthday bash off to the closest weekend. Since June 4th was a Tuesday this year, the closest weekend would have been the 1st of June. Are you kidding? We had so much going on, my birth was the furthest thing from our minds. More on that later, I promise.

On my actual birthday, I really didn’t feel much like celebrating. We were waiting for test results, and that cloud of uncertainty hung over our heads. Still, my guys wanted to do something – acknowledge the day somehow. So I suggested going to Javi’s for dinner. It’s our favorite Mexican Cantina, just at the edge of our neighborhood. The guys seemed a little disappointed that I didn’t pick a fancy place for dinner. Since June 4th was our first really hot day, and I was stressed enough as it was, getting all gussied up was the furthered thing from my mind. All I wanted at that point was a repeat of last year’s Javi celebration – complete with shots of Patron. Don’t ask why, but when it comes to Patron, I can drink most men under the table. It’s a delayed fall on my ass reaction.

The following weekend was a nice celebration. Saturday was simple – drove out to Little Mexico. It’s a flea market about 15 minutes from our home, but it may as well be in Mexico. We are some of the handful of people there who don’t speak Spanish and aren’t Mexican. No matter, we always have a good time and the food from the Taco Trucks are some of the best. I’m just glad Hubby knows enough Spanish to know when they have called our number.

We did see some interesting things on the way to Little Mexico. I can only assume this was some sort of mechanical bull going for a ride in the back of a pickup truck. Hubby (as always) was a dear and got up close so I could snap a few pictures.

Sunday we drove up to the town of Lodi (as in CCR’s Stick in Lodi Again) for their Italian Festival. It was small, but fun. There was this crazy clown lady greeting everyone as they entered the festival grounds. We talked with her, and as we walked away, I told Hubby someday I’d like to be that carefree – she didn’t care how crazy she seemed, it was fun. Hubby said I’m not that far off now. Maybe he’s right.

In the Festival Hall was an exhibit of Italian History in the San Joaquin Valley that was interesting. I learned new things about the California I love so much. There were also dancers and entertainers as well as wine tasting. A band from nearby Salinas did a wide variety of music, including a Beatle’s Tribute all sung in Italian. It didn’t matter, everyone knew the words and sang along.

Before leaving, we stopped at the Italian Sweets Tent. Oh my word, I had a Cannoli that was perfect. Generally Cannolies are filled too far in advance and you end up with a soggy shell. These were filled upon ordering. I had a Limóncello Cannoli. Not since the Italian Festival in Las Vegas have I had a Cannoli like this one. And the Cannolies in Las Vegas were made by the Godfather of Cannolies. Don’t ask, you don’t want to know. Just kidding – the man who made the Cannolies in Las Vegas taught me how to make them. His claim to fame was that he supplied Cannolies to Marlon Brando during the filming of The Godfather. Brando knew him and insisted only his Cannolies be served, dubbing him the Godfather of Cannolies. So to say the Cannolies in the little town of Lodi were amazing is saying a lot.

I guess the point of this rambling tale is that life is filled with joy and wonder. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a good time. Spending time with those we love, and savoring all that you can in those moments is a blessing from above.