29 and Holding

Happy Birthday to me!  29!!!  I just can't believe it and in case you don't then look at the cake below.  It will prove I'm 29 (or that I have a really wonderful husband).  The day started off like any good day should at the gym (Lifetime Fitness) with a good sweat.  After 8 weeks out of the gym I'm slowly getting back into things.  My shoulder doesn't always want to cooperate but I gave it a good beating on the elliptical for an hour doing hill intervals.  Just keeping it in motion seems to help.  Increasing the synovial fluid to the area (with movement) will help to get it loosened up.  Think of synovial fluid as the body's WD40.  I need lubed!! A LOT!!!! After the gym I refueled with a diet muscle milk.  I've never had muscle milk before and it was just ok.  It tasted like a slim fast shake if you've ever had those.  Nothing like chocolate milk but then again they didn't say it was chocolate milk so who am I to complain.  I'm a woman it's my right!   BTW it is hard to take a picture of muscle milk on the dash at a stop light.  It may or may not have fallen upside down into the gear shift of the rental vehicle.  Woops.  Don't tell Enterprise. 

Ella had been telling me all morning that it was my special day and that I could choose anywhere I wanted to eat for lunch.  "Don't pick McDonald's Mommy because that is a treat."  I love this girl.  Anywho... I decided on Chick Fil A.  As if there is really any difference between Chick Fil A and McDonalds.  For some reason Chick Fil A seems healthier to me. It's my lie let me live it.  Once I announced we were going to Chick Fil A Ella immediately started sobbing saying she didn't want to go there.  Wait a second kid whose special day is this?  I thought you said it was mine!  We compromised and wound up at this fine establishment. 

If you have never eaten at the Spicy Pickle and you have one in your neck of the woods GO!  You won't regret it!  And seriously who doesn't love a spicy Pickle?  Obviously Ella and I do!  I also had 1/2 a turkey, artichoke and sun dried tomato panini and 1/2 a spinach salad that had apples, walnuts and well spinach of course.  All of it was delicious.  Spicy Pickle is the new Moes.  Yeah I said it!  I also got a bag of chips (busted!  Who am I a lumberjack?) and Ella declared, "I know what type of chips those are mommy.  Those are tomato chips."  Luckily she's pretty! 

After picking up Nicholas from school there were gifts and LOTS of them.  I feel so spoiled.  Everyone gave me their special gift.  Jack got me an iTunes gift card, Ella a new travel coffee mug (mine is shot), Nicholas a book I have been wanting and George a GARMIN (so I can get around this city) and sunglasses for cycling and running.  I loved all my gifts and the thought that went in to all of them.  The kids and George did a lot to make my day feel very special.  I am loved!!!

I'm going to rock these white Jawbones!  George talked me into these he just loved them.  He said they're going to look great coming across the finish line. I just hope they make me look fast! 

We ended the day with a great dinner at ZTejas. 

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much food was consumed.  Mostly just by George and myself.  The kids were busy doing a lot of this...

After dinner we came home to CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Not just any cake BUNDT cake.  This is my favorite.  I was afraid this cake wouldn't live up to it's pretty packaging and quite honestly it didn't wow me.  It was good but I was looking for the wow factor.  Am I hard to please? Don't answer that. 

I'll leave you with the picture taken of the family by the waitress.  What's wrong with this picture?  Hmmmm! 

Just Ducky

So we started off the morning bright eyed and bushy tailed tired and cranky but we were all still eager to go on our Austin Duck Adventure.  We made the half hour trek to historic Sixth Street to meet our "Duck". 

After our obligatory trip to the rest room we lined up to embark.  Of course we were first in line because that's how I roll.  I thought we were going to be over taken by the senior citizens (note to self when I'm over 55 come back for a discount) but they booked the NINETY minute tour.  Pardon me Mr. Polo shirt and Mrs. Hot pink shorts and Hawaiian shirt but I have 3 kids.  75 minutes is more than enough for us.  But I digress.  So where were we?  Oh yes FIRST in line means first in line to meet our driver.  His name escapes me but we will call him Mr. Ponytail Mullet.  I do remember he named our duck and the duck was Howard.  He gave us all our souvenir quackers which were quickly unwrapped and immediately tested.  Great 3 quacking ducks and over 20 minutes until we leave (I told you I like to be FIRST).  For the next 20 minutes I heard, is it time yet?  Is it time yet?  (read: Are we there yet?).  Alas we were off.  Mr. Ponytail Mullet really was a great guide.  We had a great time learning new things about the city.  I'm sure I learned some things about the city that even native Texans don't know.  I told George that I wish I had gone on a Duck Tour in Pittsburgh because I'm sure you learn a lot about the city.  It didn't take long for the kids to get bored with all the unimportant (to them) history but they enjoyed quacking along.  Especially when Mr. Ponytail Mullet told us all to quack going by the golf course.  We quacked just as a gentleman was teeing off and we really did TEE HIM OFF!  Woops.  Soon we were splashing into Lake Austin, which was the kids' favorite part.  I however, wasn't impressed with the 2 minute jaunt around Lake Austin.  I quickly became envious of all the million dollar houses nestled into the natural limestone hillside and tanned bikini clad bodies on boats I can't afford.  What?  There wasn't anything else to look at but some dam and the back of a Mullet.  Like I said, it only lasted 2 minutes so this land and sea tour was a lot more land and not so much sea which didn't make for happy children.  On the way back to 6th Street we listen to some Stevie Ray and reflected on all the great history Austin has to offer wondered where we'd be eating lunch.  All in all the day was just ducky.