Turning 26

We celebrated my birthday with our friends by going to a Wine & Chocolate Appetizer Pairing event at Stone Pillar Winery by our house.  I wasn't sure what to expect because I thought the food was going to be really sweet since the theme was chocolate, but it was actually pretty good.  Here was the menu:

1. Chorizo Chocolate Tapas with Traminette Wine
2. Brisket with Savory Chocolate BBQ with a Cabernet Sauvignon Wine
3. Cocoa Rubbed Chicken Skewers with Mole Sauce with a Chambourcin Wine
4. Cocoa Glazed Sweet Potato Medallions with Hofftoberfest Wine
5. Chocolate Rosemary Fondue with Zucchini with Redneck Rose Wine
6. Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Norton Wine
7. Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters with Joceaux Wine

We weren't sure at first if we should invite our friends because of the food selection and the weather was in the 50's for the evening.  It turned out better than I expected.  We loved the Chorizo and the desserts.  We were all crammed in the wine tasting house, so we decided not to stay long, and we had people back over to our house to play games.  I made a pumpkin spice latte crockpot recipe that was cooking while we were gone, and everyone seemed to enjoy that.

On Sunday, we relaxed around the house.  Chase and Abby always seem to be so tired on Sunday evenings as well.  This is the only night that Chase will curl up and lay by us.  As soon as Greg got up, both changed their positions and laid on me.  We love our kids!

Monday was my actual birthday, and I went to work and had meetings all day.  I always tell myself that I'm going to take off for my birthday, and it hasn't happened yet.  My last meeting was up until 5 PM, so I couldn't even get out of there early.

Greg and I had plans to ride our bikes up to Spin Pizza for dinner.  They opened up a new location that's around a 30 minute bike ride from our house using the Stream Way trail that goes a really long distance.  I had no idea that Greg was surprising me with a gift, but I teared up when he delayed the start of our bike ride to tell me that he had a present for me.  He got me an Timex Ironman Run Trainer watch that tracks GPS, speed and distance with a heart rate monitor!  I think he's really just tired of me going running without my phone, so now he can track me down.  I'm excited about the heart rate monitor because now I can prove to him that I can't go as fast as him or he will give me a heart attack.  Ha!

Anyway, we went out to the garage to pump up our bike tires, and he says he has another gift!  He also bought the pedals with the cage on the top so we can get some speed on the upswing of the pedal.  I really wanted this for my triathlon, but we couldn't find it at the time (ok, let's be honest, I only looked at one place the night before the race).

At Spin Pizza, you can bring in your own wine and they have only a $1 uncorking fee.  Greg decided to bring a bottle since it was a celebration.  On the way back we took the sidewalks along the roads since it was dark.  Greg's bike chain kept falling off, and I couldn't help myself but laugh hysterically.  He wasn't too happy, but we made it home in 45 minutes, so it wasn't an issue.  I told him that I was laughing at him because of the way he looked on his bike because he was riding cautious.  Let me paint the picture in your head.  Greg has on black tennis shoes, white socks, swishy Adidas pants that up puffed up from the wind blowing on them and exposing his white socks.  Then, he is riding upright on a road bike, where he is typically hunched over, and the chain would get stuck and he would pedal with his legs out as if he was riding a horse.  Gosh it was funny, and I told him that I would draw him a picture of himself so he could laugh with me, and I still haven't done it.  He did eventually laugh, so the night wasn't ruined.

It was a great birthday to say the least.  We will all have to take you to Spin Pizza some time.  We love that place.