a birthday, a donut and a dead car battery

i'm not one to make a big deal about my birthday.
or am i?
i did the 40th thing, but still kept it quiet and intimate.
i'm not into the attention.
don't even think about throwing a surprise party.
that would drive me crazy.
not worth the hassle for sure.

but it's still fun to celebrate and a great excuse to eat good food.

mom, sister and i went to brunch at coral tree cafe in encino.  a healthy and organic spot on ventura boulevard. oh man, it was good.  everything was delicious.

i ordered the egg scramble with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes on olive bread.

my sister ordered the egg white pannini and home style potatoes.

but the best thing we had that morning was the stuffed french toast with cream cheese and strawberry preserves.  i mean really?!  these were the best.

the rest of the day was pretty normal. pick up the kids from school, afternoon snack, a nap.  nothing special.

but here's where the day gets interesting.

one of my favorite sushi places is in encino.  i chose this place because, well, they have great sushi.  it was a risk to choose this with no reservations on a friday night, 6:30 pm, everyone is hungry and looking forward to a good meal. do you see where this is going?

at the last minute we called to see if we could get a table and they were all booked.  we took our chances and drove 20 minutes to the restaurant hoping that someone wouldn't show for their reservation.  we get there and put our name on the list.

the time is 6:50.  i stay in the car with the kids.  bobby waits in the restaurant and we text back and forth.

sofia is hungry and starts getting restless.  we turn the radio on, have the lights on in the car so kids can see and i have my iphone plugged into the car to charge.  at 7:30 bobby texts me that all the tables are taken, we'll have to wait until someone finishes eating.  now everyone in the car has lost it.  sofia is yelling out that she's starving, jordan is frustrated with her crying, andrew is crawling in the back of the truck stepping all over bags and other things that moms carry in their car from day to day.  and we haven't figured out that the fact that the dimmed lights in the car is not a good sign.

we decide to forget sushi and go to casa vega for a bean and cheese burrito and some chips and salsa.  sounds like a great plan b, right?

when bobby gets to the car i tell him that i think the battery is dead.  he just about loses it right there.  to make matters worse, how can they get worse you ask?, we are parked in a spot that would make it very difficult for another car to get to us with regular jumper cables.  so...we call aaa for assistance.

i stay calm and tell bobby that i will go in and wait for our table, how much longer can it be?  he tells me that since we were leaving he took our name off the list.

i stay calm and go to talk to the hostess and plead my case, it's my birthday, we've been sitting in the car for over an hour, my daughter can't breathe she's so hungry, please put us back on the list!!  i've worked up the courage and step up to the hostess.  she looks at the list and there we are.  not crossed off the list, in fact we are first on the list.  hah, so there.  we are eating sushi tonight.

i stay calm and wait another 15 minutes outside the restaurant with the kids while bobby waits for the tow truck.  when we are seated i order edamame, miso soup for everyone and treat the kids to ramune, a japanese soda, they deserve it.

this soda is so cool.  you pop the marble into the class and that releases the fizz.  whatever it takes to keep them happy.  i also order chicken teriyaki for the kids and 3 sushi rolls for us.  this place has the biggest rolls i have ever seen and their service is speedy.  food is on the table within 10 minutes of sitting down.

and i love the spicy sauce on the armenian roll (not on the menu by the way).

sitting at the table with bobby and the kids and a table full of food i was both frustrated and grateful.  i don't like making a big deal about my birthday but i do like feeling special on this day.  really all i needed was some good food and my family to help me feel this way. circumstances just made the day more memorable.

it was awesome how quickly the mood changed after getting some food in us.  things got instantly better.  and we spent the rest of the evening giggling and enjoying the time.

for dessert, and in my attempt to make everyone feel better about the situation, i agreed to celebrating the new year of life with a donut. a fresh donut.

even if it was 10 o'clock at night.  it was fresh and tasty and a perfect end to a not so perfect night.

thanks to everyone for sending their wishes my way.  the facebook posts, the cards, the phone calls, the texts.  i do appreciate the love.  thanks for making me feel special!