Girl's Night Birthday Celebration And A Tiny Victory ...

Good MORNING lovelies! Happy “Middle of the Week” day to you all! Remember? I don’t like the phrase “Hump Day” ? It just ain’t right …

Last night we celebrated my Cousin Natalie’s 25th birthday. Apparently this is a big one. I really don’t remember anyone making a big deal about the fact that I was half-way to 30, but Natalie informed us all last night that people told her “it’s all downhill from here” … good to know I’m on a downward slope. I really don’t get why that’s regarded as a bad thing. Have you ever tried to walk/run/bike/anything uphill? It’s not pleasant I will tell you that. Downhill on the other hand? Fantastic. No one goes jogging LOOKING forward to hills, it’s the other side of the hill that people look forward to. So HERE’S to going downhill. Anyways, back to last night. We went to Red’s Patio Grill in Plano. My mom and I split a mushroom burger (um, yumsters) and then ordered steamed broccoli as our side (this was our attempt to off-set the fact that we just ate a mushroom burger?  You see the logic?). When our food comes out my mom and I each have 1 ½ stems of broccoli on our plate. Now I understand we are splitting this order, but seriously, 1 ½ TREES?!?! Let’s be a little less stingy here Red’s (Who, by the way, adds an immediate 20% gratuity to the bill – 20% gratuity? You best bring us a BUSHEL of broccoli. And be sitting by our table waiting to refill our drinks with bated anticipation). So we ask for another order so she and I can have, oh I don’t know, at LEAST 2 spears each.  Here comes our apparently 20% gratuity-worthy (or so Red’s says) waiter with THREE florets. Um. Seriously? Has broccoli rapidly increased in price so much that restaurants are RATIONING? Is the economy THAT BAD? So my mom and I bite our tongues (and really have been biting our tongues the whole time – we never complained to the waiter initially, we just requested another order) and our 3 florets and move on. The rest of the evening with the apparently 20% gratuity-worthy waiter was just fine. He didn’t do any back flips or tricks (which, I think, should be expected of someone that counts themselves worthy of telling me that I need to tip them 20%) but he did a pretty good job keeping up with the 7 of us.

(No idea why I look sleepy ... and sunburned?)

(Sisters, birthday girl on the left with her new Micheal Kors watch Mama gave her!)

(Begin Erica & Katie photo-shoot, for some reason we always think this is a good idea ... Oh and halfway through I realize I have a flower headband that I bought, AT DOLLAR GENERAL, that NEEDS to be put on because Erica had an adorable flower headband on ...)

(Last but not least, me and my momma (who makes me look like a midget by the way, thanks genetics for skipping out on giving me THAT trait...).  Ain't she purty?)

Oh and highlight of my night. My Mama lives close to me so for these girl’s nights, if Joanna doesn’t pick her up (which we let her slide in not coming to this one, being that she just birthed a child and all …) then she comes to my house and I drive her to our evening’s destination. On the way home she proceeds to tell me that she went to get some soup for lunch that day. At Rin Tin. The restaurant is called Tin Star. This was after, at dinner, my mom asks my Aunt Belinda if she brought any “silverneers” back from her trip to Ecuador. If you couldn’t translate that, she meant “souvenirs” … I hope this isn’t catching … or hereditary. I’ve apologized to my husband if it is. He says he already sees signs … I don’t know WHAT he’s talking about ...

Last, I have to tell you all a funny, short story. This morning, during my morning trip to Starbucks (my fix) I parked my car about the same time as another woman. Now, I have this problem. If someone is parking, at the same time as me or right before me, I don’t know WHAT it is, but I have the urge to RACE them to the door. To be the first one in line. Most of the time the poor people are completely oblivious and I have my own personal victory in my head. Complete with victory dance. Today, this woman was SO on the same page. And she was the size of a linebacker. And I don’t know if you can tell from blog-world (or the picture where I'm standing, I promise not squatting, next to my momma) but I’m 5’ 3”, 5’ 4” on a good day (when I lie). So I rush, and by rush I mean speeding with power-walker like movements (You know, those women that swoosh their arms back and forth and walk like their tush is on fire. I better stop, I’ll probably be one of them someday …) to the door and SHE speeds up too! So of course I think “Oh H no, it’s ON!” and speed up even more. I can now hear the sound of announcers at the horse races ...

“IT’S Katie, now it’s the linebacker, now Katie and the linebacker comes around the corner and closes in, now Katie speeds up and she MAKES it TO the finish line! It’s going to be a photo-finish!”

 You know, in the really-fast talk, like the Micro Machines guy from WAY back in the day? Anyways, I then SWOOSH in front of her and open the door (and then proceed to hold it for her, my manners are impeccable) and jump up to the front of the line. I can FEEL the linebacker’s eyes burning into my back. My sweet little barista, Jordan, who knows my order and has it ready for me .5 seconds before I get out of my car, hands me my Chai, I pay the cashier girl who ALWAYS acts like she has no idea who I am (hello, I come in EVERY DAY at 7:25) and head out the door. Smiling. Victory is mine!

I hope you all have victorious days!!!