Birthweek Activities

Mid-June is a fabulous time to have a birthday. I used to think it was a rotten time, because all the other kids got to bring treats to school and hand them out on their birthdays, thereby getting lots of attention and well wishes. Summer birthday kids didn't get that treatment.  But now I make up for it with lots of fun summer activities around my birthday, so I think June is a great time for birthweek.  Now that I am officially over 40, I have earned an entire week of celebration instead of a single birth day.
 
I started off birthweek by playing in my backyard to my heart's content. I would not allow myself to feel guilty that I should be training for that little race coming up on August 6.  I worked all day Saturday moving rocks around, fixing sprinklers (yes, the ones we just installed), weeding, and generally producing massive quantities of vitamin D.


Saturday night, Drew came home.  Sunday morning I made a fabulous jalapeno potato salad, edamame succotash, and strawberry rhubarb pie

in preparation for our picnic at Red Butte Garden's summer concert series later that evening featuring Big Head Todd and the Monsters.  Sunday afternoon we went for a short ride, and then cleaned up for the concert.

Even though we got to the waiting line for the concert later than I would have liked, I weaseled us down in between some large groups with big blankets, since we were only 2 bodies.  We set up our lawn chairs about 8 rows back from the center of the stage - -PERFECT.  To make it extra perfect, the two people directly in front of us were young boys that were (a) small, and (b) more interested in their Gameboys than the music and therefore content to sit down quietly. Plus they left early. Score. Here is our view of the stage.

 

What a beautiful venue.  There was plenty of time before the music started to enjoy those salads, pies, and wine.

The opening act was Toots and the Maytals; they were excellent.

Really got the crowd fired up. Here is a video of one of their last songs.  

Time for the main act: Big Head Todd and the Monsters. They were even better! 

I had not been to a live concert in a couple of years and not to a rock concert for many more. I forgot how good and loud concerts feel.  We showed our age by wearing ear plugs!  Here is a little clip of the concert. Check out the wild drummer Brian Nevin. He was on fire.

Birthweek took a hiatus on Monday for me to get a dental filling and work half a day, but birthday Tuesday we were in full form starting with breakfast at Eggs in the City.  I ordered the crepes as a special treat because I had never had them.  They were so good and I said as much to the waiter. He said, "if you come in on your birthday they are free." Hey, what a coincidence!  Free crepes for Lucy.

Breakfast was followed by a bike ride on recently snow-free Park City trails,

and then a drive in my freshly detailed truck

Later we were joined by our kitties while we enjoyed a before-dinner drink our new high deck off the master bedroom,

Birthday dinner was at a restaurant I'd been wanting to try for some time.  Meditrina serves small plates, so we ordered a bunch and they came out one after the other.  I tried to take a picture of each plate:

BRUSCHETTA OF THE DAY

The SCALLOPS PICATTA — sea scallops in a lemon caper butter sauce over squid-ink spaghetti, was really great but I didn't get a picture of it, because I was still laughing at this

.
which is Drew eating PICKLED BEETS

 But I thought they were wonderful

We had STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS — Maryland blue crab, marscapone, with a lemon-almond cream sauce.

and I think this was seared TUNA

There was BEEF TENDERLOIN CARPACCIO — with arugula, artichoke heart, red onion, and a whole grain mustard viniagrettem and
CAJUN HOT AND SOUR GREEN BEANS — sautéed with cajun spices, garlic and lemon. 

BACON CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN — over corn, butterbean, and turnip purée with candied pecans.

and one of my favorites was PATATAS BRAVAS — grilled red potatoes with caramelized shallots, spicy tomato aioli, and chili oil, which I did not get a picture of. 

Coupled with two glasses of sangria, it was all good! 

We came home to devour birthday carrot cake from Carlucci's Bakery (they made our wedding cake) before turning out the lights on the pinnacle day of birthweek.

But birthweek was not over.  Wednesday night my teammate Ellen hosted a get together for women on the Revolution road bike racing team and mountain bike racing team. We are the same team with almost the same sponsors, but because of the differences in training and riding requirements for the different types of racing, we hardly know each other.  It was a great way to meet some of the ladies and we got to eat our sponsor Cafe Rio's chow.

Thursday night Drew and I hosted the No-Guilt Book and Dinner Club.  It is a book club but you don't need to read the book (that's the no-guilt part of it). We have dinner before the discussion so the host makes the main entree and others bring sides and drinks.  I chose a Mexican menu and made both chicken and spinach enchiladas.  Oh, and another strawberry rhubarb pie, because that is a Mexican favorite, of course.  Heather made flan. I love flan.

Friday Drew left again so that was the official end of the celebrations.  It was a busy and delicious birthweek that I got to spend mostly with Drew.  What a great way to end #40.