GOODBYE SEPTEMBER AND TURNING 33!

September, thank you for the memories! I am blessed to have welcomed chapter 33 full of love and appreciation!

SURPRISE DINNER

This year my husband planned a surprise dinner for the two of us. All he let me know was the dress code, the date, and time. He surprised me with a dinner at Room Number 13-Escape Hotel in Hollywood.

When I saw the entrance to the hotel, I thought to myself, "Dear Lord is this man surprising me with a horror-escape room kind of dinner?? Does he not know I'm not into horror (like that), and less likely if I am having to escape & eat??" (LOL) However, I did tell myself that I would be a good sport & grateful through the experience as I recognize that he put time and thought into planning this. I did tell myself that I'm brave and would get through this, even if internally I am crying in fear and anxiety.

However, as we waited to be seated, my husband explained to me that it was going to be a dinner with a show, a Frank Sinatra show! I can't tell you the relief I felt! Apparently Escape Hotel has Sinatra Night's where the talented Douglas Roegiers performs classic Frank Sinatra songs all while you have a nice dinner. It wasn't busy, so we actually were able to have a very intimate & relaxed dinner.

We ordered:

Crab Cake with Avocado & Caviar: Seared crab cake with a lemon and avocado mash topped with tobiko roe caviar
Chicories with Duck Prosciutto and Goat Cheese: Fresh chicory greens with raw asparagus, roasted carrots, glazed pecans tomato wedges and watermelon radish tossed in a sherry shallot vinaigrette
Shrimp Limona Linguine: Marinated shrimp with artichoke hearts, capers and shallots tossed with linguine and a limona cream sauce
Ossobucco di Agnello: Tomato and white wine braised lamb shank with homemade mashed potatoes
Drinks: Lychee Martini, Old Fashioned, Hemingway Daiquiri, Espresso Martini, and there was one more I can't remember the name.

#KatXplrsFood

The only one I didn't really enjoy was the Crab Cake, but all the other plates were delicious. The Espresso Martini was my favorite drink! After that, on our way home I noticed a neon sign that said La Descarga and we decided to check it out. It turned out to be a speakeasy-lounge. It has a very prohibition-Cuba environment feel to it. That night they had a burlesque show with live music and the band was great! Safe to say, we ended dancing the night away!

DISNEYLAND!

Tradition is important to me and a birthday tradition of mine is going to Disneyland. I feel blessed that I was able to celebrate another birthday at the happiest place on earth! This hasn't always been the case and probably won't always be the case, which is why I'm happy for any opportunity that I am able to do so.

Over the years, I have celebrated my birthday at Disneyland with family, friends, or boyfriend (then)-husband (now). All these experiences have been full of laugh and love that make them memorable. This year my Disney wish was to get the chance to celebrate chapter 33 in Club 33, unfortunately that didn't happen. But who knows maybe one day Tinkerbell will sprinkle me with pixie dust or the Fairy Godmother will make my dream come true (LOL).

This year the only thing I really wanted to do at Disneyland was to take it easy and ride the Haunted Mansion-Holiday ride. The Haunted Mansion ride was the ride I really wanted to do as this year you need to "reserve" your spot through the virtual queue. I don't know why they started this, but I am assuming it has to do with limiting the crowds in the area as there is construction going on in New Orleans Square. If you have ever been to Disneyland during the Halloween to Holiday festivities, the line to ride the Haunted Mansion can get very LONG!

We spent most of our day at Disneyland and towards the evening went over to Disney CA Adventure to get ourselves a drink to celebrate my birthday and ride the Incredicoaster! After that we went home to relax the rest of the night.

#KatTrvlsDisney

My Wish for 33!

My wish and prayers for the new year are:

That I continue to be open to receiving wisdom and advise from family, friends, & even strangers, but that I am also able to discern the wolves dressed as sheep.
That my health continues and gets better. That I learn to do more for it, like learning better eating habits and continue doing physical activity.
That I continue to grow my education in mental and emotional health.
That my relationship with God continues to grow, because from that relationship stems my foundation to all my other relationships with family, friends, and my husband.

Looking forward to enjoy every single day in this new year!