Day Off: Return and Report

So this is how my day off really went:

1. Sleep in: Doesn't sound too hard, right? The hubby was out of town, no children . . . at 5:30AM I heard Kawi crashing around in the dark in his cage. Just ignore it. Again, crashing. Just ignore it. Finally I went into the room where he sleeps and pulled the cover off of his cage to find a panicked, wide-eyed cockatiel sitting next to his windchime, across the cage from where he sleeps. I pulled him out of the cage, took him to the bathroom, and then took him with me to bed. He sat on my knee until the room got bright enough for him to comfortably venture around, nibbling on my lips to let me know he was hungry. Fortunately I had a bag of pinenuts at hand, so a cracked a few, and he ravenously gobbled them up non-stop until I peeled myself out of bed at the belated hour of 7:45.

2. Exercise: This one went rather well. Running felt good in my VFFs, then lots of chin-ups, push-ups, some elliptical, and other circuit work while I watched the 10th Kingdom.

3. Go Shopping! I felt obliged to clean out Kawi's much neglected cage, so before I exercised, I sprayed it out and left it to drain in the tub. I pumped the iPod while I tidied the kitchen from my Chili night, swept under Kawi's kitchen cage, and designed the layout of his regular cage. I know that sounds funny, but you want them to move around without getting hurt, so you arrange the toys and perches, let him do a test-run around the cage, and fix any flaws. I think I got it on the first try this time. He likes to flip upside down and posture with his wings extended just before he goes to bed, so you have to leave plenty of room for wing-stretching. Finally I headed out to do some shopping. I found a fabulous tailored black velvet shirt with 3/4 sleeves, and a unique collar. Velvet is so easy to maintain! I also found a Jones New York black 3/4 sleeve sweater with a gold zipper. It was the ultimate in classic lines without drabbery and typical sweaterness. Finally, I found a stretch-knit - no, not jersey knit, but a classy stretch knit with a simple necklaced collar. I did get to Banana Republic to try on several shirts, but ran out of time before I needed to meet C at home to leave for our overnight getaway, so I put everything on hold for a later purchase date.

4. Pack for my Get-away! Well, that didn't take much, just a few things tossed in a bag in 5 minutes, and ready to go!

5. Go to the Temple! This was perhaps the best part of my weekend. I did get to the temple, but not until Saturday, and C came with me! I had three AWESOME surprises that made me feel it was my special day to be there, although I can't really describe them. At the VERY end, something really cool happened with C and I in addition to the other three surprises, which just made my day. A most memorable trip!

6. Eat! Most of our dinner was ideal - we were placed in a private corner of the restaurant right next to the fireplace. Our meal was good - not Waterfront good, but reasonably good. I had grilled salmon with lemon caper sauce and C had a chicken enchilada. We strolled back in the perfect evening air and stole a very delicious kiss in the remote little gazebo before returning back to our room. The fireplace lit, C pulled a blanket and two pillows from the wardrobe and created a perfect cuddle spot for the two of us - without ever reading my blog! I later told him that he couldn't have made it more perfect. After our fireplace snuggle, we cuddled in bed, and yes - it's true - watched the Office!

The next day, still full from dinner, we skipped breakfast, but stopped by for some coconut gelato, and then ran down to the forest service to purchase our annual Christmas Tree permit just before they ran out. I won't include the part where I dropped the wristband for the tree at the gelato place and had to return to get it, because that just doesn't sound very romantic at all, nor will I mention the family drama that kicked in during my birthday dinner later that day, because things like that just don't happen on a perfect birthday date, but I will mention that C took me out for a sushi birthday dinner, and we enjoyed some fabulous sushi and a few other treats.

So, yes, in almost every aspect, I had a perfect birthday weekend, with my amazing loving buddy! Thanks, C, for making it so special, and for being patient with those other unexpecteds. Thank you for making me feel like the most important person in the world, and for being my steady, endless rock of strength and support. I am so lucky to have you in my life!