I hopped on a plane yesterday morning heading to San Diego to celebrate Deb’s 59th. She and Tom had arrived from Memphis the night before. We all left record breaking low temperatures + ice in the case of Memphis and snow in the case of Northern Virginia and arrived to a cheerful 60-some degrees.

Matt and Emily had everything planned to a tee less Matt’s starter going out on his trusty Honda Friday morning. Thank heaven it had not happened the day before because Deb and Tom had the dubious honor of picking me up at the airport, lunching me, and getting me home…all of which would have been complicated by a car that wouldn’t start in a city they barely know. Anyway, Emily’s parents loaned us a car to use while the starter was being replaced, so it was hardly a blip on our radar.

The long weekend was all about Deb who was surprised by a gift each day. On Friday, the actual 59th, the breakfast table was set with party hats, a tiara for Her Highness, streamers in the light fixture, and a Yet Another gift. Matt cooked and served the birthday breakfast.

While on the topic of food, it was kind of a foodpaloossa weekend. Every bite was amazing. The day I arrived Deb took me for a meatball sub in Little Italy and that night Matt grilled his signature chicken which was served with Deb and Emily’s Pintrist-inspired grilled artichokes and a salad. My treat was a waterside birthday lunch. Matt and Emily chose the perfect restaurant and arranged for a table by the window, personalized (embossed with Happy Birthday Deb) menu, birthday dessert with candle, and a waiter who was easy on the eyes. Having thought of everything, they even arranged for a navy vessel to cruise by and an F16 to flew over. Those two California Mongeons could be fricken party planners I tell ha. We intentionally paced ourselves at lunch because we had reservations at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Mariachis singing the birthday song and another birthday dessert made it perfect. We wore our cone shaped party hats and Deb donned her tiara.

I might have to take back the party planner remark because Matt and Emily did, actually, miss the mark after the birthday dinner. Once home we settled into a game of Apples to Apples and they promptly took turns winning and then packed us losers off to bed.

Saturday was a blast from start to finish. We had an amazing breakfast at a cute restaurant on the water. From our perch, we could see swimmers, seals, birds, and loads of people out enjoying the beautiful, though cloudy, day. From breakfast we headed to the beach in search of a fire pit. We were beat to the punch in La Jolla but we found an even better place on the bay. Matt and Emily had the car loaded with snacks, beach chairs, wood, and all the necessaries for birthday s’mores. Deb’s best friend from her days in Japan, Donna, and her husband Bruce, drove down to spend the afternoon with us. They were such a wonderful addition to our party and we wiled away the afternoon visiting and playing corn hole. I hate to come right out and say Bruce, totally new to the game, and I, a senior, won four out of five games, but the truth was bound to get out in these days of social media. When Bruce and I had exhausted the competition we took a walk, ate our snacks, enjoyed the view of sailboats, birds, and paddle boards, and watched the sun come down low enough to start our fire.

For those curious minds wondering if you can fall out of/off a blow up mattress, I’m here to tell you it’s doable. Always remember to execute all turns and rolls from the center of the mattress or it will sort of flip you out and onto the floor around 3 in the morning.

My flights to and from were perfect with early arrivals on both ends. You read that right…early. Both going and coming we flew over snow 3/4 of the way. Beautiful from the air.

Back to work tomorrow after my 2nd adventure this year. You loyal readers will recall Dan and I rang in the new year in Bixby, Oklahoma.