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6/02/2008

First Stop on the Berfday Express: Alton, IL

Posted by Gwen |

Yesterday commenced the week-long celebration of my ability to exit a birth canal. The festivities were in Alton, IL at the home of my parents who have been putting up with my zany brand of being for a long time so they know how to do it up right.

First up? Um, duh: presents!
The Berfday Booty:
  • Splatter screens for cooking bacon.
  • Yahtzee!
  • A yummy lime green skirt. I've dubbed it "my birthday suit" and am going to wear it tomorrow on The Actual Day.
  • Travel Scrabble: look how the tiles lock onto the board so you can "save" your game. If you look closely, I spelled out "B-E-R-F-D-A-Y" on the board so you could see how they won't come off. And the carrying case zips right up for easy transport:

Sweet! Let's go to the park and play!

Several years ago my mom and I began celebrating every possible occasion with crab legs at Red Lobster. Today was, of course, no different. Except for the drinking. It seems my mom rediscovered her taste for alcohol my sister's wedding and would not be happy yesterday until she had a margarita. So I joined her with a daiquiri the size of my head.

Drinks before noon on Sunday. With my mom. Suh-weet!

These crab-leg celebrations of ours are thinly veiled excuses to eat our body weight in crab legs. We always talk about going to one of the casinos on all-you-can-eat crab leg night just to see how much we could really put away. We've never actually done it, but I bet they'd kick us out.

Before

After


We're always so full when we're done that we go shopping to walk off the calories. Again, any excuse will do. Yesterday we went to the mall because I needed to pick up some Clinique. We looked at shoes and purses and dishes and bedding. We tested every bottle of perfume in Macy's. I helped mom pick out some new clothes and then we headed home for CAKE!

My favorite - yellow cake with milk chocolate frosting. Yum!

Beau was pouty because we wouldn't let him have any cake so I showed him just how bad some dogs have it.

Hard to believe I'll be 39 tomorrow, isn't it?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE YAHTZEE!

Whiskeymarie said...

My love of Yahtzee is well-documented. Love. It.
Have a cocktail at midnight for me, almost-birthday girl.

Anonymous said...

Happy early birthday!

There was a Chinese buffet I used to love in college that served crab legs. One of my friends would always go and get nothing but crab legs. I think you would have gotten along with him famously.

The Lady Who Doesn't Lunch: said...

I don't remember how to play Yahtzee, but boy howdy do I LOVE Scrabble. I play a Yahoo Games version on my computer that I adore.

Happy Birthay - sounds like you are enjoying your visit so carry on!

PS - I haven't been to Red Lobster in years - probably not since I shacked up with a man from Boston (MDH), but I used to love the cheddar biscuits.

paperback reader said...

Really? Red Lobster? Huh.

Anyway, happy birthday to ye.

Gwen said...

LM: I'm bringing it with me tomorrow.

WM: Come over and play! Bring some rhubarbtinis.

-R-: As long as he kept his mitts outta my butter!

Lady: Mmmm . . . I had one of those, too. Sinner.

Pistols: Indeed. I'd even marry a man who proposed there.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. You guys rule.

McGone said...

That's funny - I read "Red Lobster" and the first thing I (swear to God) thought was "Pistols at Dawn." I bet that association makes him happy.

Hey - Happy Birthday!

othurme said...

Happy Canal Exit Week!

Anonymous said...

you SO need to get to pittsburgh so that i can take you to my favorite all we can eat crab joint. on mondays for only $20 i put a serious hurting on their profit margin. coz i can eat buckets of those glorious things!

any monday this summer...my belated birthday treat to you!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday!

MJenks said...

Did you go to Pie World?

Sorry, everything I've learned about Alton, IL I picked up while watching Feasting on Asphault.

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