weekend update

My multi-day birthday extravaganza has finally concluded—and it made for one fantastic weekend!

Friday, 10/3—My wish of spending the day in the kitchen came true! The pumpkin spice cake was easy to make, smelled incredible as it was baking, and tasted super delicious. Considering a whole wide world of cakes out there, and wishing for more opportunities to improve my icing skills, I am actively looking for opportunities to bake more cakes. Later that evening, we had a great time with our friends Scott and Renee. Scott also has an October birthday so he brought over a special bottle of port, one that John and I gave him for his birthday eleven years ago. He's been cellaring it for all this time. What a treat!

Saturday, 10/4—The boys made breakfast for me. Simon handled the scrambled eggs, while John made toast and sausage. Then they cleared out of the house so I could have an uninterrupted telephone conversation with my friend Krista, who lives in Seattle. And, they came home with lunch (baguette and an assortment of cheese), haircuts (school photos are coming up), and presents (books from Common Good Books, one of my favorite St. Paul indie bookstores). What a day!

After lunch, we took a family bike ride, which was one of the most harrowing rides I have ever taken. Winston fell off his bicycle now fewer than four times. Twice, he landed in the middle of the road. And, I just have to add that we had been riding on a bike path—not in the bike lane on the road. Another time he ran into a lamp post on the side of the bike path. He never injured himself seriously, just a few scraps. But, it was an exhausting, trying ride for him. I really felt for the little guy. Still and yet, he's doing a fantastic job—it's been no more that two months since we took the training wheels off his bike. And, he wanted to ride his own bike rather than on the tagalong. I'm proud of him, even when I've got to push my heart back down in my chest.


Later, one of the neighbor girls came over so John could take me out for dinner. We had an incredible meal—and an audience with executive chef, Alex Roberts—at Restaurant Alma. This is my favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities. The menu has a local and seasonal focus; the food is innovatively prepared. The dining room is comfortable, with exposed brick, high ceilings, and an open kitchen. The wait staff is warm, welcoming, and utterly unpretentious—something on which I place a premium. The wine list is approachable with many interesting bottles. You can order starters, firsts, and mains on an a la carte basis, or you can order one item from each of three columns for an affordable prix fixe price. We always choose the latter. I started with smoked white fish with beets (a surprisingly pleasant riff on the starter I served friends on Friday night); John started with bison tartare. My first course was spicy sticky rice with crispy shallots, bok choy shards, and mushrooms; John's first was masa corn and black bean cakes with shrimp. For a main, I enjoyed the most sensational—and perfectly cooked—duck breast (meat was tender and juicy, skin was crispy and salt, the layer of fat in between was liquid gold) with a port and fig sauce, and a bonus confit duck leg; John went with the seared scallops with rosemary sauce and hen of the woods mushrooms, also divine.

Sunday, 10/5—We had intended to ride our bikes (or walk) over to St. Thomas so we could cheer on runners during the Twin Cities Marathon, one of our traditions. But when we awoke, it was raining, and neither John nor I could get out of bed. And, it just felt right to lay in bed, listening to the rain hit the skylight, burrowing a little further under our quilt. After a late breakfast, we took the boys to see Igor. I remember that the trailers I had seen over the summer showed promise, but ten minutes into the movie, I could tell it was going to be a long one. Even though I adore John Cusack in any form, I am mindful of the 86 minutes I will never get back. The boys had a great time, though, which is, to me, priceless. The rest of the day was lazy and restoring, just like Sundays should be. IMO.