Thirty, Flirty, and Tiring

This weekend I did one of those things that has previously always seemed distant and out of reach -- like having a baby or reading the Twilight series without retching.

I turned 30.

I'd been dreading this day for a while (as had RP), but turning 30 turned out to be pretty innocuous, aside from caloric overload and surprise-induced high blood pressure.

RP planned my very own “day of fun” in San Diego on Saturday to commemorate my second 29^th birthday.  It started with a 10:45 am movie, which made it seem like I was turning 69. On the bright side, I had no idea how cheap movies are when you see them before noon.

After the movie, we headed off to Rubicon in Mission Beach for my favorite calorie-overloaded salad and a chance to see what beach-dwelling 20-somethings look like in bikinis.

Which almost ruined the salad for me.

Then we headed over to Old Town, mostly because I wanted to tour the Whaley House, but also because it was so appropriately named.

The most haunted house in America was spooky, but I enjoyed every minute, mostly because the Victorian garb and lack of plumbing made me feel super young and hip.

Since RP is such a good boy, he took off for Priesthood session, but not before he took me for froyo and diet coke, wherein we had this conversation:

RP: “Let’s get you some froyo.”

KP: “And a diet coke!”

RP: “Didn’t you have two at the movies?”

KP: “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY.”

RP: “I just thought –“

KP: “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I CAN HAVE AS MANY DIET COKES AS I WANT!”

RP: “What’s your excuse the other 364 days of the year?”

After killing a couple hours shopping for needless home goods with Julia, RP and I were scheduled for a special sushi dinner downtown. But we never made it; it seems RP had a few little tricks up his little sleeve.

Julia called to tell me she’d forgotten to give me my present. She was surprised at how quickly I agreed to come back to her house, but that was because she underestimated how much I like presents.

Lo and behold, RP had organized a little surprise for me. And it happened to include my favorite people:

A little birthday barbecue and soiree followed, which made me realize that, old or not, I have the best friends in the world.

In fact, the party was so lovely that we barely made it home in time to open presents and eat our homemade sugar-free, low carb chocolate birthday cake on my actual birthday. RP did a fantastic job, showering me with pretty things including a Missoni scarf, which also helped him to learn WHAT Missoni is.

Maybe 29 Part II won’t be so bad.

It should also be noted that my coworkers didn't neglect my birthday either. Yes, that is a decorated file cabinet in our department as well as some "homemade" birthday gifts: a stuffed bald eagle (what girl DOESN'T need on in her closet?) and a VOIP handset (with a bow).