On the Road Again - Birthday Edition

Birthday week - mid September - back to Phoenix.  I had Bon Iver tickets!  And family and friends to visit.  And restaurants in which to fill my belly.  Except I totally didn't want to make the drive.  After the longest Saturday ever, I went to early church, took a nap, then finally decided if I didn't get in the car right then, I wouldn't have gone at all.  And during that 6 hour drive, I decided I'm not doing that drive again for a long time.  Hear that AZ people?  That means you need to come this way.

I left just in time to catch the end of monsoon season on Sunday afternoon.  Rain in the desert - it's a lovely experience.  Except when accompanied by a haboob.  

Monday morning I drove into the office to check in with coworkers and see what I'm missing by going virtual.  I think I'm over having a commute to work.  The whole 'walk to your laptop in your pajamas' thing is really working for me lately.  Though I do miss the social side of things.  I could never live alone.

On Monday after work, I drove down to Coolidge to surprise my dad's parents.  They've got more food storage than anyone I know, and we decided to make a birthday cake to enjoy after dinner (they have September birthdays too.  Seriously - all the best people were born in Sept).  Too bad the icing we used turned out to be a few years too old to be any good.  My youngest cousin discovered this on first bite and informed us that the icing tasted like puke.  That's appetizing.

Tuesday - the day I spent several hundred dollars on car maintenance.  I really don't ever want to drive again.  Anyone want to take my car off my hands?

Then it was time to visit Megs and Chantal!  And Porter came over, which was fantastic since he'd been away for several months for an internship and I hadn't seen him in ages, though I can still hear him from miles away.  Keep it up, Josh.

Trivia reunion time at Arcadia Tavern.  Delish bar food, dessert, fantastic people and winning trivia = excellent combination.

Nate had a sundae large enough to feed a kindergarten class.

Megs fell and broke her tailbone.  She's accompanied here by her lovely donut.

Wednesday - visit #1 to Postino with the Megs, Chantal and Shannon.  Super fresh ingredients, classic combos = amazing deliciousness that I miss so much.  Yes, there are ten thousand restaurants in LA, but no little neighborhood gems quite like Postino.

Thursday - Bon Iver time!  First up, dinner at Hula's.  Why hadn't I been here before?  It's excellent.  Apparently Corey and I are very intrigued by something.  Pictures of Turkey, I think.  The country, not the animal.

Finally - arrival at Comerica.  Totally missed The Walkmen.  They're on the research list.   Megs and I walked down into the orchestra pit just before Fleet Foxes started - how's that for great seats and perfect timing?  My eternal quest for optimal performance is going well.

Hello, Fleet Foxes!  Your voices were beautiful tonight, as always.

Halftime!  Aka - rest the tailbone.

Um, whoa, Justin Vernon, looking completely f.i.n.e.

I've always loved him for his music, but that was the night I loved him for being sexy.  Cause he was.  I think it's the vest.  And the beard.  And that sweet, sweet voice.  Consider me crushing.

I'm always torn on capturing video/photos of shows.  80% of the time I just want everyone to shut up, listen and be there in the moment.  And who ever actually goes back and looks at videos they captured during shows?  Well, I do.  Bon Iver is a serene experience, but I let myself take one vid, then I tried to put away the camera and just be in the moment.  Cause that's how it should be.  I guess the one bad thing about being in the pit is competing against everyone else for space and height, but hey - it's about the music.  Not the view.  Except, oh wait, JV was looking hot that night.

Perth - new favorite track.  

You already know that I'm obsessed.

What a delightful evening.  I can't get enough.

On to Friday - the day I thought I was going home to LA.  Except no, my wonderful amigos convinced me to stay.  And I almost stayed a few more days.  Because hello - more Postino visits!

Friday birthday dinner - all the bruschetta I could want.  I almost ordered 2 whole boards, just for me. Proscuitto and figs, burrata with bacon, arugula and tomatos, white bean, peppers and goat cheese....and on and on.

Post-dinner, we walked across the street to Churn for sweets.  It's a darling place.  I want to live in its candyland.

Madagascar vanilla with homemade salted caramel in a pretzel cone?  Yes, please.  Perfect birthday dessert.

Kari came!  And a bunch of boys, though we left them out of photos cause we're prettier.

After sleepovers and breakfast at Kari's, I hit the road again.  I had cupcakes to obtain from Vanilla Bake Shop for another birthday shin-dig the next day.

They look great and taste even better.

Becca was kinda enough to put together a little shin-dig.  We ate all my favorite things, except for the Good and Plentys which I happened to have in my pantry.  Turns out no one likes them much.

What's with my same head-turn in both of these photos? And that's my bad side....ha!

All in all, a pleasant birthday week.  Cheers to 31!