Happy birthday Dad. You would have been 76!

Dad,
You died 4 days before your 76th birthday. We had hoped you would hang in there to turn 76, yet it was your time to go on the 4th of July 2010, shortly before 4 PM. Watching the fireworks will never be the same for me.

To honor your memory, I had the family over today at my house for a bbq. Me, U., Mom, Bernard Jr. and both of your grand daughters. U. grilled a small feast. We shared memories of you, ate, drank and U. gave a toast to you while mom shouted up to the sky, "Happy Birthday Yobo".

We miss you. We love you. You are in our hearts forever.

Celebrating my birthday at the shooting range

This year I told my husband to forget the fancy dinner and get me guns and ammo.
The husband is looking hot in a Steve McQueen kind of way. Later I would show him how to lock and load.
Started off shooting 50 rounds with a .22 caliber Ruger revolver.

My husband had this pink shirt custom made for me that was perfect for the occasion. It has a peace sign on the front & a gun on the back.
Who says growing old can't be fun? Take that old age!
Taking care of business.
By the end I was shooting a 9mm semi-automatic Beretta.
This gun has some serious umph!
All smiles - holding up my target - a hostage scene.

What an awesome birthday!
Blowing out my birthday candle at The Four Seasons for brunch before all the shooting.

Happy Birthday to the man who lit Sarah Silverman's joint

"Is it a milestone birthday?" asked a coworker.
"No, I just want to do something nice for my husband."

Evening's itinerary

• Rushed home early from work with a babysitter lined up and a stretch limo waiting for us with chilled champagne in the backseat.
• 9 course tasting at Sona.
• Nice touch - U.'s menu had "Happy Birthday U." printed at the top. When leaving they gave us the menu in a white envelope as a keepsake to take home.
• Unlike Providence where they ask you if there is something wrong with the dish if any portion remains uneaten, here at Sona many dishes went back half eaten and no one questioned it.
• Food highlight - the palate cleanser (pineapple sorbet and I forget what else), and the blue cheese with honey was orgasmic (I don't believe I've ever used that description to describe food before - I must be getting old.)
• Stump the waiter - each dish had so many complex ingredients that invariably the waiters would have problems remembering the last ingredient and would either pause and wrack their brains or go back to the kitchen to ask and report back to us.
• A 2 and a half hour dinner - whew - feels like you need a 7th inning stretch before the desserts come out.
• After dinner our limo whisked us away to the Santa Monica pier. Today was the lighting ceremony of the new ferris wheel and the amusement park is open until midnight. Riding the lit ferris wheel at night, over the ocean seemed like a good idea but (lots of other people thought it was a good idea too) and the line snaked around for about a 2 hour wait. We decided to pass this time and come back on a Sunday with our kid.
• We share a warm churro on the walk back to the limo. U keeps saying, "this is SO good." We just enjoyed a $600 dinner and yet a $2.75 churro is the perfect nightcap.
• My husband thanks me for the 50th time as he pours himself another glass of champagne.

Happy birthday honey. Sweet dreams on your birthday.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Sixteen Candles for Uwe in Joshua Tree You’re invited to Uwe’s birthday celebration
this Memorial Day weekend!

Location
Joshua Tree / Secluded High Desert
2500 sq ft Geodesic Dome Home

When
Memorial Day Weekend 5/26 - 5/28
(Uwe’s birthday is Monday 5/28)

Amenities
40 foot indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, exercise room, meditation loft, lounge area, bar, and 360 degree wrap-around second story deck