Jason got to open all his present while breakfast was cooking except his iPad- that silly thing came a few days late.

This year we both took work off on his birthday so we could spend a nice relaxing day together. We slept in and I made him Upside-Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans for breakfast, which was pretty good but next time I make it I’m going to alter the recipe a tad.

This was Jason's birthday breakfast. It was pretty tasty but I have a few ideas on how I can make it even better.

After our leisurely morning we caught a matinee of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and then went to a sushi place in Salt Lake City called Takashi for dinner. This restaurant is consistently rated as one of the best in the city and I now see why. Yum. They serve a lot of unique fusion style rolls there that are loaded with spice and flavor. The best roll I tried was a vegetarian one called the Shiva; it was packed with jalapenos, shishito peppers, avocados, and cilantro and then dipped in a yuzu balsamic sauce. Try to contain your drool; I may not be able to contain mine.

Jas was ready for some fiesta style volleyball in his fashionable sombrero.

Sabreros

The following day Jason’s birthday may have technically been over but the partying continued. I planned a little birthday outing with our friends in the park. I dubbed this event “La Fiesta de Jason” and ordered Mexican catering from Café Rio to feed the partiers: salad with creamy tomatillo dressing, fresh chips and salsa, pork enchiladas, black beans, lime cilantro rice, key lime pie, and tres leches cake. Muy delicioso! We ate a lot and chatted while we gobbled even more. No fiesta is complete without a piñata so after dinner we hung one from the playground monkey bars and let the kids go at it. After the piñata was successfully torn down and disemboweled, the adults gathered at the net for a couple games of volleyball. We played until it was too dark to see and then sang happy birthday to Jason so he could blow out the candles on his key lime birthday pie. It was a pleasant summer evening spent with great company and more food than you could shake a stick at. I must admit that when it comes to party planning I do alright for myself.

After all the kids had a swing at the pinata, we let the adults give it a try. It was actually my uber powerful hit (no snickering) that brought that baby down.

The boys were living la vida loca at the party. I think they needed to lay off the loca a little.

Although Jason, as always, had a bigger deal made out of his birthday than most people ever do, I’m not sure the festivities adequately paid homage to such a spectacular husband and friend…but I did also buy him an iPad so that should help make up some of the difference.

Jason only managed to blow out a small grouping of his candles on his first attempt. Pathetic.

There was a nice open area by the porta potties that was a pretty sweet place to hang out and enjoy the concert without having to worry about the giant sized man in front of you blocking your view.

Paul, though nearly 70, was just as energetic as he was in his younger days and definitely just as talented. His band played flawlessly together. They mostly performed Beatles songs but they threw in a few classics from his solo career as well. Paul also relayed some fascinating stories from his extraordinary life and sang heartfelt tributes to both George and John.

The performance of Live and Let Die, a song featured on the Bond flick with the same title, was accompanied with fireworks. Pretty dang cool!

Sir McCartney was a great performer and really connected with his audience but what impressed me most about him was his graciousness. Although this man is a legend and an idol he was the most obliging musician I have ever seen in concert. Someone in the audience had made a sign requesting a song and even though it wasn’t on the band’s playlist Paul said that since they took the time to make that poster the least he could do is take the time to play their request. I’ve never witnessed a performer accommodating a request from their audience in a large stadium like that before. Paul also autographed some items that people threw up on stage for him to sign without complaint. He genuinely seemed to appreciate his fans.

At the conclusion of the concert red, white, and blue confetti rained down on the audience. It was a festive ending to an outstanding evening.

Paul was a cute, funny, quirky, and brilliant performer. His clothes almost looked like something he might have worn back in his Beatles days and he was so lively you could practically imagine yourself there.

Being in the presence of such a music icon was a privilege and it was very rewarding to see that he wasn’t just a superstar, he was actually a nice guy. The concert was fantastic and the man was fantastic. It was definitely one of the most memorable concerts I have ever been to and if he comes back to town I will gladly shell out the money to see him again.

Jeremy's got the water sport skills. He made all of us look bad. On the other hand, Jacob made the rest of us look like water geniuses.

He invited me, Jason, and our friend Jacob, to join him and his family on the maiden voyage of his illustrious watercraft.

We took the boat out on Utah Lake and had a lovely time wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and slalom waterskiing. Well, I should qualify that statement by saying that I kneeboarded, Jeremy waterskied and wakeboarded, Jason wakeboarded, and Jacob drank a lot of nasty lake water as he was dragged through the wake while he attempted unsuccessfully to kneeboard and wakeboard.

Don't Jason and Jacob look good together? What a cute couple.

Milo, the Rowley’s little boy, had no problems kneeboarding even though it was his first time trying too. Sorry Jacob, I guess you were out done by a 7 year old. Oh burn! Speaking of burns, Jeremy and Jacob failed to apply adequate amounts of sunscreen and they both got bad sunburns. Oh, double burn! (Yup that’s right; my insult works both metaphorically and literally. I am so dang clever!)

Boating made Silas very sleepy. He spent most of the time napping on one of the seats or balled up on the floor under a towel.

We had a lot of fun out on the water and are glad that Jeremy got his dearest wish. Now that he has everything his heart desires what will his next lifelong ambition be? Getting a better boat? Reach for the stars Jeremy, reach for the stars!

How sweet! The boys look very comfy together. Maybe they were cuddling together for warmth?

It got a little cold outside at Log Haven once the sun went down so I used my napkin to keep me warm; it didn't work too well.

Luckily for me I don’t have issues with these annual events. Unlike many of my fellow adults, I see life as a blessing at any age and I don’t intend to waste any moments of it lamenting the end of another year, especially when I could be out doing something cool instead of pouting. Sure, I have a few more wrinkles now than I did a decade ago and they will only increase as time moves forward but I’ve enjoyed the years and smiles that brought me those lines so I have no regrets.

This fantastic cake was made by my friend Robyn. It depicts me gloriously conquering the half marathon I'm running next month.

Since I don’t view my birthdays as a curse, I have no problem celebrating them with gusto. Why squander a chance to get together with the people who have added love, meaning, and laughter to your life or eat yummy food until your stomach is ready to mutiny?

Robyn and her girls are some of my favorite ladies. Yes, they are her children. I know, I know- she looks way to young to have children that age. You'll just have to believe me.

Fortunately, I have a husband that doesn’t believe in skimping on the celebrating either. He made me a delicious Cabo style birthday breakfast, which took him so long to prepare that it turned into more of a late lunch. And then, as if I hadn’t already snarfed enough fresh salsa and grilled sausage, he took me to Log Haven for dinner. We ate our delicious meal out on their patio with the grandeur of the mountains all around us. It was lovely. The evening was completed by the lighting of a series of fireworks at my in-laws’ and dancing around their hypnotic glow like a bunch of deranged tribesmen.

Jeremy, Jason, and I barely pulled off the wallyball tournament victory. I am proud to say that my spike was involved in our winning point. It was probably the only useful thing I did for my team the whole time.

The next day Jason had planned a repeat of last year’s wallyball/ping pong/billiards extravaganza with all of our friends. This event was held in the same two rooms at Noah’s as last year and it was a lot of fun again the second time around. I lost miserably at pool to my friend Robyn and then lost miserably at ping pong to pretty much everyone. But my wallyball team pulled through, probably no thanks to my skills, and won the grand tournament finale. There were no broken fingers or other injuries to speak of this year so I guess things must have been a little tamer on the wallyball court this time.

This little guy was all ready to party.

Even after that wild wally get-together my birthday festivities were not over. A few days ago my family held their usual quadruple July birthdays spectacular. Since Jason and I have July birthdays, along with my sister and her husband, my family does one giant party every year for all four of us. It’s always a memorable experience and one that the nieces and nephews particularly seem to enjoy.

After we stuffed ourselves with pizza and cake my family walked to a nearby park so we could all spin on the playground until we puked, all part of the bulimia plan for the passive.

So now I’m another year older, maybe another year wiser, but definitely another year celebrated!

My family insisted that I take the entire chunk of cake that bore my name. Needless to say, I still haven't eaten all of that giant piece.

]]> http://thesabins.com/2010/07/14/a-life-worth-celebrating/feed/ http://thesabins.com/2010/07/10/tour-de-riverton-men-suck/ http://thesabins.com/2010/07/10/tour-de-riverton-men-suck/#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:53:26 +0000 Rachel http://thesabins.com/?p=1330 Jason felt a little left out when I biked Goldilocks a few months ago since he was prohibited from participating in this ride because of his obvious lack of femaleness. I therefore decided to sign us up for a coed ride called the Tour de Riverton so his tired muscles could convince him that he never needed to feel like he was missing out on anything ever again.

When the ride started all of a sudden hundreds of bikers connected their fancy biking shoes to their pedals. I've never heard so much clicking in all my life. It made me laugh a little.

The Tour de Riverton, a 25 mile ride, took place bright and early last Saturday. Although this event, like Goldilocks, was “noncompetitive” the presence of men had the obnoxious effect of making it a lot less laidback than Goldilocks. Sorry men, sometimes your competitive intensity is simply not cool.

Jason too had a hard time quelling his urge to beat out whatever guy happened to be pedaling next to him but I made it clear from the start that if he decided to turn this ride into a race he was on his own and I would just continue to mosey along at my own pace and enjoy the lovely morning. I guess my husband does love me because he wasn’t too tempted to leave me to meander the course by myself. He’d say he wasn’t tempted at all but I know better.

The Tour de Riverton course followed a lot of the same paths as Goldilocks, which was okay with me because Goldilocks went through some rather scenic farmland.

My critique? Although I got to spend nearly 3 hours biking with my sweet husband during the Tour de Riverton and I enjoyed it, I liked Goldilocks better. Goldilocks was so chill and relaxed. You could tell the participating women weren’t there just to bike; they were also there to hangout and socialize with one another. When men were added to the mix for the Tour de Riverton who was ahead of you seemed to become far more important than who you were riding with. What can I say men, sometimes you suck.