My Birthday was actually a month ago. Normally I try and update the site soon after events, but this one just kept slipping away from me. As they say, better late than never.
A few weeks before my birthday, my parents (Ron and Lynda Jennings) called to see if we had plans that weekend. When we replied with “not really”, they asked if we’d like them to visit. We replied “Of Course!” and soon enough, we were picking them up late Friday night at the Sacramento Airport. We visited for a bit, showed my Dad the house (my mom had been there before), and went to bed.
In the morning, we slept in a bit, and I made omelets with the last of our homegrown tomatoes. Dad was interested in seeing Davis, where I did my MBA, so we headed over there. It was Sat. morning so after a tour of campus, we stopped by the Farmer’s Market. We bought some veggies, and I wanted to adopt a dog. My mom bought me a gluten-free baked product that was probably the best I’ve ever had. We went to Old Town Sacramento for a bit, then headed home. After a rest, we headed out for dinner, where my parents took me to Outback. I’d never been there before, but they had Gluten-free menu and I’d been eager to try it. It was nice to order off a menu without a billion questions, and the steak was good.
Sunday we got up early, and headed to Lake Tahoe. It was gorgeous, with fresh snow, but cold. Especially for my Dad, who is no fan of cold weather. We slowly made our way up the west side of the lake, stopping frequently for photos. Once we were in Truckee, we did some window shopping and warmed up with coffee.
A year or so ago, my dad spotted a familiar name on an email mailing list. Taking a chance, he emailed the guy, and it turned out it was him. They’d been friends from 3rd to 7th grade, but hadn’t spoken in 45 years or so! Rick had a home in Truckee, and we went to visit. It was funny to note after 45 years, all the similarities between the two. Both dressed very similarly, had collections of hot sauce, were into HAM radio, and had taken up SCUBA diving. Among other smaller coincidences that had my mom and I smiling in amazement all night. I mean, heck, they both have the same coasters! After a long period of catching up, we headed out for dinner. Wow. Yum. One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. Thanks again Dad.
We ended up staying in Rick’s gorgeous Truckee home Sunday night, and monday morning we’d hoped to take him up on his offer to fly us on a scenic tour of Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and we had to take a rain check, so after a more catching up, we headed home to Sacramento.
Kim needed to work, so went back to the house. We relaxed in the afternoon, then i took mom and dad to my fish monger and the grocery store. That night I prepared a huge sushi feast, with dozens of rolls and sashimi and nigiri. It was good and just a fun, relaxed time as we all sat around talking while I prepared the food. It was a super nice, super pleasant evening. All too soon it was over, and the next morning i had to take them back to the airport.
Thanks for coming, it was a great birthday.