Mom's birthday weekend, March 21-23, 2014

March 21, 2014

 

Had we not just had delicious lobster ravioli at my in-laws, I would have never offered to make my Mom dinner for her 59th birthday. My North Bay parents recently sampled the sauce-free ravioli at Costco and bought a couple packages. We in turn, hunted down some after four trips to Costco in search! It was sold out almost everywhere, but the Danville location got some in, just in time.  My (East Bay) mother and father, sister and brother-in-law, and husband Casey and myself would all be at the day-early birthday dinner so we prepared two packages. Each one was placed in 6-quarts boiling water for 3 minutes, then drizzled with olive oil. The dinner was fantastic and we only had 3 ravioli left over! My mom had a pretty chocolate cake, but we were all too full to eat any of it!

 

March 22, 2014

 

My mother called me the morning of her birthday and told me she'd gone Costco shopping for all the items I needed (which I'd mentioned at dinner the night before). She also purchased a $200 gift card for me. That's my Mom! That's exactly who she is! It's her birthday and she's spending the day standing in lines to help someone else. Unfortunately I wasn't home to receive her thoughtful presents.  Our friend Valerie came by our house and the three of us drove up to Petaluma, for another great lunch with the in-laws. 

 

We picked up Matchi (Casey's grandmother) at her home across from Wickersham Park. All of us joined my North Bay parents and enjoyed fresh bread and butter, hot potato leek soup, homemade Swedish meatballs with a delicious sauce and large noodles, and a crispy, crunchy salad. After lunch we said hi to two of their fluffy cats, and then Matchi, Valerie, Casey and I all headed to the new Graton Rancheria and Casino in Rohnert Park.

The casino was super nice inside.  It was full of blinking lights and singing machines, all in neat rows. Non-smoking areas were clearly marked and rather than the smell of cigarettes you get in a lot of casinos, it was scented with a light citrus air freshener. It seemed like they had a lot of staff walking around, which is good for a Saturday afternoon, but we also noticed a lot of trash (empty water bottles left on machines, coffee cups sitting on top of machines, etc.)  There are complimentary drink stations where you can order a free non-alcoholic drink or purchase an adult beverage.  A drink woman came around one time only during all the hours we played. This was surprising since sometimes people don't want to give up a machine to get a drink refill.  You'd think it wouldn't be very difficult to staff a brand new casino.  I bet the drink ladies at Cache Creek are making sure people don't stop gambling and get up from machines when they're thirsty. Being that's the next nearest casino, Graton is their biggest competition.

I ate a couple of delicious tacos from the food court. The Casino has a moderate sized food court with pizza, ice cream, The Habit hamburger, and some other options. I went to the Mexican joint and was not disappointed with my little street tacos. I sampled some warm scone treats from the Starbucks next door, and enjoyed people watching before we went back to our favorite machines.

We ended up going home with some money in our pockets, but that was likely because Matchi kept handing us $20s to play with. She spoils me like my own grandmother did. It made me wish I saw my Nana as much as I see her, but she's all the way down in Anaheim Hills and we don't get down there nearly as often as we'd like to.

After dropping Matchi back off at her home by the park, we drove to the other side of Petaluma and stopped to retrieve a dish we'd forgotten at the St. Patrick's Day party the week earlier. It sat waiting for rescue on the front porch, and I was satisfied that my pretty dish was back in my possession. (My own fault for not taking the veggies and ranch dip in a container I cared less about, but it was a happy ending nonetheless.)

We made one final stop and said hi to Casey's Uncle and paternal grandfather, Pa, who live together on that side of town. It was a much appreciated visit and before long we were back on the road, headed home. It was a long, full day spent with friends and family, and our cats were happy when we finally crawled into bed with them.

March 23, 2014



I woke up to my ringing phone and tried to mask the "tired" in my voice as I said hello. Of course, it was a call for a notary. I was happy to hear the couple was across the street and told them I could meet them in 10 minutes. I was out of bed and running to my car 8 minutes later, making it there right on time. After I finished up their quick signatures (no travel fee charged since it was so close), I took the newly earned $20 into Trader Joe's and bought some fresh eggs and veggies. Casey slept a little longer until I woke him up with a hot plate of breakfast. 

My Mom stopped by with my groceries and house supplies while Casey was across the street getting a haircut. It was a productive Sunday so far! We decided to enjoy the nice weather and got our cat stroller out of the back closet. We attempted to put both cats in it together but they just aren't good enough friends yet.  Phyllis won the coin toss and went around the block with us while Regan got some alone time at home. Poor alone kitty with nobody to bully.

We stopped at an open house (condo) on the walk.  I went in to the 1,100 square foot, two story condo and was amazed at the $379,000 asking price. It did have a one-car garage, but really wasn't any nicer than my own condo. An extra 1/2 bath, a backyard patio area, and an enclosed garage were valuable commodities, but that's still a LOT of money for a condo in Concord! Plus, mine has a great location, and this one is on a busy street that you can only turn right out of - forcing you to make a U-turn to go the other way up Treat. Not convenient!  We aren't looking to sell any time soon, but it's nice to know what the nearby values are.

Our final stop for the weekend was an evening dinner party and retirement celebration for our friend Mark Cornelius. He no longer plans to work as an attorney, and is pursuing his acting and singing interests instead.  His band Durt Cheap played at the dinner which was held at the new Pleasant Hill Senior Center. We had a wonderful time meeting new people and listing to the great music.  Plus, the center's full time chef (Susan) catered the event with her husband and the food was just outstanding. Healthy and light, fresh and delicious!  We had a fantastic time at the party, which ended for us shortly after Mark and his band played our wedding song, "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis.  We went home smiling with great wedding memories and another great weekend behind us.