I think I should first clarify that Ted hates Chipotle. Hates. I didn’t think it was possible to hate Chipotle. He has all kinds of unsavory names brewed up for that place. I mean, how can their food not agree with you? They use fresh, locally sourced meats and vegetables, and its relatively healthy with salad bowls and tasty burritos, great non-greasy tortilla chips and an array of flavorful salsas, fresh guac, and they even serve margaritas! I swear they’re not paying me to say this stuff, though I wish they were. Really, its delicious. And I love it. Since my first Chipotle burrito my freshman year of college, I’ve been all about the Chipotle goodness. It’s no authentic Mexican feast or Tex-Mex, but for fast food Mexican? It really can’t be beat. I could consume their cilantro-lime rice, corn salsa, and guacamole for weeks on end.
I’ve been pleading with Ted to go to Chipotle with me for the entire five years we’ve known each other. Alas, whenever a Chipotle craving strikes once every few months, I must either ignore it and move on, get it on an extremely rare dinner date with a friend, or go alone and then face the impending commentary about how gross and/or expensive it is. It’s like tradition with us, and I’m used to it.
So when Ted picked me up from work on my birthday and asked where I’d like to go for a quick dinner together before dropping him off at his rehearsal that evening, I mostly-jokingly suggested Chipotle, knowing full well it wasn’t going to happen. To which he, shockingly and simply, replied “sure.” Once I’d retrieved my jaw from the floor of the car and questioned him at least half-a-dozen times to make sure he’d really just agreed to eat at Chipotle with me, we actually did it. We went into a Chipotle together. And Ted did not die. It was a monumental moment. And that is the story of how we thoroughly enjoyed I thoroughly enjoyed and Ted survived my awesomely unexpected birthday dinner at Chipotle. But really, it was the BEST.
If I didn’t know before, I know now that my husband must truly love me.
After I dropped Ted off at rehearsal for the show he’s working on, I met a small group of my lady friends for celebratory birthday sweets at the Village Bakery. We had salted caramel cupcakes, coconut cupcakes, a chocolate cake bite, and a phenomenal flourless chocolate cake that was so chocolately and divine! Because less flour = more chocolate. It was so rich and really, pretty amazing. Thank goodness they’re minis and not actually full cake-sized, because these babies are going to be a difficult temptation to resist.
From there we were going to stop for a few glasses of wine at a restaurant with outdoor seating along the Erie canal, but it was pouring rain and Arielle mentioned that she had just baked a from-scratch glorious peach pie that day, and had fresh homemade watermelon punch, wine, board games and cats at her place, which just happened to be fairly close by. Pie, wine, games, friends, AND cats!? That’s basically the ingredients for the best birthday ever. Sold! An unexpected yet very welcome change of plans! The pie was incredible, the wine, watermelon punch, and vanilla froyo were perfect compliments, we played a really fun game called Head’s Up (it’s a social group game, similar to Taboo, but played using an app on the iPhone), and I got sweet kitty love!
After we called it quits for the night and I picked up Ted for rehearsal, we went home for cards and birthday candles. It was a totally lovely birthday, and a small lesson on why you can have the best laid plans, but when it comes down to it, should just let go and flow when unexpected opportunities come your way.
Thanks to everyone for making my birthday so special!
