We got up Saturday morning and headed to Concord Produce Market. We only needed a few veggies for ourselves, but we weren't here for us. The night before, our friendly neighbor who cares for her terminally ill husband told us that she hadn't been able to work her night job the week before because he wasn’t doing well and she needed to be home with
him. As a result, she hadn’t had money
or time to buy their groceries. We were so saddened by this that we didn’t even have to
discuss what to do. We filled and
purchased bags of fresh fruits and veggies for her, and brought them home. I
cleaned and cut them and we took them to our neighbor, wishing only that we
could do more. She’s a wonderful woman.
I also washed and cut some veggies for us, while my husband
made a wonderful Ranch dip using a Mexican sour cream that was just
outrageously thick and creamy. We would take the peppers and carrots and dip to the evening party we were attending. Our Irish friends Sean and Molly hold an annual St. Patrick's Day party at their home in Petaluma. With their dad, they make tons of amazing corned beef, soda bread, and other dishes. Sean moved to Chicago several months ago but surprised
everyone by flying home this weekend for the party. It’s a pretty big deal:
Shamrocks are shaved into heads; hair is dyed green; everyone is drinking beer
or whiskey. It’s where I’ve met most of Casey’s friends. He’s brought me to the party with him the
last three years, since we met.
Before the party we stopped for lunch with Casey's parents and grandmother. They served lobster ravioli (from Costco), Caesar salad with homemade dressing and croutons, and crunchy, fresh garlic bread. The ravioli was so full of lobster no sauce was needed. The flavor was great by itself. We plan to make this dish for my mother's birthday dinner this coming weekend. We tried to stop at the Petaluma Visitor's Center after we left their home for the party, but it closed at 4:00. (Casey grew up there, but I want to check out the Center anyhow!)
A couple of beers and several hours later we hugged our goodbyes and started our one hour drive home. We hadn't had much to drink, but the car in front of us on State Route 37 could probably not say the same thing. Inconsistent speed and an inability to stay inside the lines. The one lane road is dangerous enough without adding alcohol. We made it home safely, happy to be off the road. As we watched the news before bed, we were not surprised to see the already high number of DUI arrests in our area.
March 16, 2014 - Sunday Funday!
We met at 11:30 a.m. for lunch at Rocco's Pizzeria in Walnut Creek with my co-worker Stacey, her two adorable children, and her sister Shelby. While the food was terrific, the service was best described as hellish. Service is always a little slow here, but no glasses were ever refilled (soda, water, alcohol). We had to hunt down the $100 bill at the end, and everything in the middle was a nightmare too. I wanted to pull the owner aside (since he was in the restaurant) and tell him about our experience, but it was almost 1 p.m. now and we had somewhere to be.
We rushed to downtown Walnut Creek and parked in the garage on Locust Street. Casey paid a flat $3 event parking fee with his credit card and left his wallet in his lap. As we hurried from the car to the Lesher Center for Arts next door, neither of us heard it drop to the garage floor. Our girlfriend Julianna was picking up her ticket at Will Call and Stacey and her family were already inside as we barely made it to the theater in time. Our $14 tickets in hand let us into the Fantasy Forum production of Sleeping Beauty! While it was mostly geared toward children, we had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the performance. Afterward we walked around the Bedford Art Gallery on the first floor. Admission is free with your ticket stub.
I returned a missed call on my phone and expected the unknown number to be for the mobile notary service I provide. I was surprised to hear a woman's voice inform me that Casey had dropped his wallet, and her and her husband Kyle had found it. They own OC Watch Company a few streets over from the parking garage. They had left town already and I asked if I could pick it up from their store on Tuesday when it was open again (closed Sundays and Mondays). This was not a problem. How lucky are we! It's the good karma coming back from me finding a wallet a couple months ago and laboriously working to track down the owner (which I finally did!)
We were invited to Sunday evening drinks at Milo's Lounge in Concord but turned this down and headed home to relax away the rest of the evening. Wonderful weekend!
*The weekend is over... but as a note:
March 17, 2014 - Happy St. Patrick's Day! I wore a lot of green to work, but this was otherwise a very uneventful Monday :)
March 18, 2014 - Totally Terrific Tuesday
I arrived at work this morning knowing I'd pick up Casey's wallet today. What I didn't know was that Acro Cats started it's statewide cat circus tour. Upon learning this, I bought tickets for their San Francisco performance at the end of May. ($24) Can't wait to tell all my friends abut it. I have been waiting sooo long for the cat circus! It couldn't have been a more perfect day!!
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