Happy Anniversary, Sly. I love you.
XOXOXO
V
“As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh I'll spare everyone a sappy public love letter to the hubs and instead I'll just say:
Happy Anniversary, Sly. I love you. XOXOXO V
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Party favors included ring pops, TMNT tatoos, glow-in-the-dark bracelets, pixi sticks, stickers and a bunch of other vintage candy. We celebrated Sly's bday this past Friday with friends and family at a roller skating rink out in the middle of nowhere (where have all the roller rinks gone?) 1970s/80s dress code was encouraged but of course we were the only ones to really show up looking like fools. Or so we thought. Strangely nobody at the rink gave us a second glance and Sly told me it was because 80s was now back in style and we were probably considered 'cool' now. That's what I will choose to believe anyway.
Being at the rink was a trip down memory lane -- I don't think anyone in attendance had put on quad skates or been to a rink in decades -- but once our rentals were on and the music was blaring, and our glow bracelets were glowing it was like old times. Sly may have turned a year older that day but we felt like a bunch of young kids chasing each other around the rink and trying hard not to fall or tumble into other people. We ate greasy overpriced roller rink pizza, held hands during the slow songs, and of course took photos in the photo booth. I tried to take photos while in the rink but was reprimanded by a referee outfit-wearing kid who was most likely half my age. One little girl, confused by our attire, asked me if we were "trying to be twins." I said no. She stared at me quizzically, "but then why are you dressed like that." I replied, "Just for fun I guess." I don't think that answer really satisfied her because she skated away with a perplexed look on her face. By the end of the night as they were playing the last few songs we couldn't believe we had been skating for almost three hours! After changing back into our 'normal clothes' the festivities continued at chill bar near our house that we have been meaning to try for some time. Sly and M became BFFs with the bartender while me and the sis tried to avoid talking to some old drunk dude. At the end of the evening we found ourselves singing along to old Sugar Ray songs and catching the end of the Virginia - MSU basketball game. To further commemorate the night the bartender gave Sly a 40th anniversary pint glass with the bars name etc on the front. It was totally like being 21 again - if only we had that glass at the beginning of the night... Happy Bday + some Sly. XOXOXOXO After moving to the East Coast from SF (aka the WORST MOVE EVER ) we discovered that not one but BOTH of my snowboards + gear were missing. One of my boards - a limited edition board -- was still wrapped and brand new. Over all the things "lost" and broken in the move, losing my snowboards was by far the biggest punch to the gut. Since then I have not had the heart to board or replace my gear. Until...the Olympics! I became kind of obsessed with snowboard slopestyle while watching the Olympics and was inspired to get back on the snow. It took me three years but I finally replaced my snowboard gear. Sly bought me my board for Valentine's day, and I scored my boots and bindings at some crazy Winter sales. We drove to Wisp during one of our bigger winter storms (nicknamed "SnowChi') and stayed the night in a tiny little town just outside the resort. Everything was closed by the time we arrived so we made sandwiches and sat on our bed and watched the Olympics. It snowed and snowed and snowed and covered the tiny little town in blankets and blankets of white and created some of the most awesome powder ever. We spent our day on the slopes trying to remember how to board (it had been over five years) and realizing that boarding was a bit like learning to ride a bike -- once you learn you never forget. On our first run there were a few falls as I adjusted to my new board, but afterwards my body relied on muscle memory. Everything came flooding back: the technique, the freedom, the love, and the joy. I remembered being 20-something and boarding pretty much every single weekend in Tahoe, dreaming of maybe one day becoming a snowboarding instructor. Back in those days me and my roomie would pack our gear the night before, get up at 4am, drive to Livermore, get coffee at McDonalds, then continue on to Tahoe where we would board all day long before making the long drive back. Wisp was obviously no Tahoe, but it didn't really matter much because we were snowboarding. Together. And having so much fun. more info Wisp Resort // Approximately 3+ hours from DC. Family-oriented (read: crowded) resort with lots of other snow activities besides skiing/boarding. Runs are pretty short but still a lot of fun. Black diamonds were mogul-y than steep so we pretty much stuck to blues. You can buy discount lift tickets at Costco, however since we went on a holiday weekend we could not use those tickets. Ticket prices for holiday weekends are quite steep. If we had planned a little better I would have chosen to go a different weekend. That being said, it's a great little resort not too far from the city with a decent amount of options for food and lodging.
Yough Valley Motel // Inexpensive / Located in Friendsville, approximately 15 min drive to the resort. The rooms are very basic and kind of hodgepodge but they were clean and included a fridge, microwave and plenty of space. We chose this place because the rooms were inexpensive and not too far from Wisp. Obviously this does not compare to staying at the ski resort, but then again we saved about $200 a night. Jubilee Diner (also Peter Pan Pizza) // Inexpensive / I think this place is affiliated with the motel though not sure. At any rate, this was pretty much the only place open in the dead of winter and we were tired of eating sandwiches on our motel bed. We ate the "bbq buffet + salad bar" which was like $10 for all you can eat. The food was like cafeteria food, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It was ok, not great, but it totally satisfied our craving for a nice hot meal and a crisp salad. Lots of locals eat here so there was a pretty good, warm vibe. Wisp Food court // Inexpensive / The dining hall at Wisp gets crazy packed during lunch hours -- you can pretty much forget finding a table. We didn't really eat here but we did get a few snacks and diet coke so were able to check out their offerings of typical fried food, hamburgers, etc. They also had a ramen station which we thought was pretty interesting. Maybe we will try that next time. Nevermind that we still have our Christmas tree up or that we still have a bunch of boxes in our donate pile that require sifting through. We figured that with enough wine and food that these things would be overlooked.
It’s been over a year since we moved into our house and it was time to finally have some friends over for dinner. As usual, Sly did all the prepping and cooking while I offered moral support in the form of “do you need anything to drink?” Once our friends arrived we tapped into the wine, ate tons of cheese + crackers, more wine, and then onto the main course: Sly’s homemade spicy cioppino chock-full of all kinds of fresh seafood. We retired to the living room post-dinner to rest up a bit before tackling the crockpot apple cobbler (known as “apple crisp, even though there’s no crisp) and some dessert liquor. After a whirlwind of eating and drinking I started to feel a bit hot and light-headed (aka drank too much) so I went upstairs and maybe took a little nap while sitting on the cool tile floors of our master bathroom. Then I shook it off, rallied, and returned to the living room for more wine and convo. That's the mark of real friendship: when you act like a weirdo and nobody says a word. But that certainly did not stop us from eating.
Superbowl Sunday, now I remember why I have avoided you for so many years. You are boring. You make ordering Korean chicken wings nearly impossible (2.5 hour wait, seriously?) You make me feel sick from gorging on grease, carbs and sweets. You make me pass out from food coma. You rewarded a liar and a cheat with a victory. And to top it all off, your commercials sucked. The few redeeming factors included hanging out with friends and family (hey guys: whatever happened to our plan for Sunday Suppers), yelling at the tv screen (my personal favorite), throwing chicken bones into the fire (good one, MM), sipping on Don Julio 1942, and Max eating the leftover red velvet whoopie pies while we were sleeping. It was the most boring and embarrassing game to watch. At one point we wondered what would have been more noble: actually making a field goal so that the Broncos would at least not be shut out, or the Broncos taking a knee every possession. I was kind of in favor of the latter because at least that would have been entertaining. |
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