Catching Up « Chit-Chat « Restless Chipotle

There has been so much going on that I have a backlog of posts to get put up and I almost don’t know where to start. The end of March was busy with my almost-daughter-in-law coming in to town for a visit before heading to Japan to be with #1 son, my daughter’s 30th birthday party and my #2 son’s graduation from Air Force boot camp in San Antonio. I got back expecting to take a breath and catch up – and got a fabulous rush assignment for a large number of recipes and images. Then it was Easter. Now it is my birthday week and there is all sorts of coolness going on. Like the birthday present that I got from the husband on Saturday… a week early but…

Yes. It is. A BMW convertible. Adorable. And of course, red. SAH-weeeet.

Well, that was a shock. And there have been whispers about more birthday magic… He got me a subscription to Bon Appetit … and I thought that was awesome… apparently it was only the beginning.

So… I lost an entire day of work while I hyperventilated and cried…

Today I spent the day with my newly 30-something daughter. She was here with her professional hat on to take promo shots of me. We had a great time and she got some really amazing shots. Take a good look at this one because you will be seeing it again. Soon. And it will be important to one of you. Soon.

I fell in love with San Antonio. It was amazing. And we got to stay with a friend rather than a hotel so it was extra special. The food, the atmosphere, the architecture and the history all just enchanted me in every way. And… visiting with friends always rocks. And… wow. My son. He is my second child to leave home to go into the military. Chris has been in for almost 8 years and has been in Japan for nearly 4 (I think, it all blurs together). It looks like Matt is headed to Korea. Between the time they leave for boot camp and the time you see them 8 weeks later a major transformation has taken place. My boys become men and I get to see the finished product. All of the nights walking, rocking, nursing… the weight gain… the exhaustion.. the prayers upon prayers upon prayers…. those stages: the smart aleck stage…the no stage… the “OMG, where is HE – it is 3 a.m. stage….” All of a sudden it all comes together in one amazing package and you realize that your child has become an adult and you didn’t do so bad after all.

We had an absolute blast with Matt for 4 fabulous days. Riverwalk, Sea World – and best of all? Hours and hours of time together. Dear God, I love my kids.

I will be 52 on Saturday. It is hard for me to believe that I am at this point in my life. I swear, I don’t feel any different than I did when I was 16. To have a 30 year old daughter…grandchildren… responsibilities…

The BMW helps. It helps a lot.

When I drive down the street, the top down, my hair streaming in the wind I can pretend that all those guys are staring at me…and not my car, right?

Well, I do have a lot and I mean a lot of recipes to get posted but I am going to start (tomorrow) with Erin’s Disney Princess Party. Yep. We did. We gave her a princess party for her birthday and it was awesome.

I am going to post the recipes and images from the party but, just to give you an idea…

The cake was flavored with a new (to me) flavoring called “Princess Flavoring” which is slightly citrus-almond-vanilla. It was a pink, purple and white marbled cake. There was other stuff, too. This was just the tip of the iceberg.

Easter was delicious fun, spent with someone special as all Easter feasts should be. Pecan Ancho Praline glazed ham, cake batter cheesecake, homemade rolls… broccoli rice casserole… oh my. So delicious.