I’m still adjusting my age due to the COVID years, so I guess I turned 30 (again) this past weekend!! Ever since I actually turned 30 two years ago, I’ve been in denial about being in a new decade of my life. And I’m going to live here for as long as I want.
Friday, May 22
As usual, I make my birthday weekend a long weekend, so I took Friday off from work. In the morning, Josh’s sister and our niece came over for a visit—and our niece got to meet Cannoli! I don’t know if Cannoli had ever encountered a one-year-old before, but she did very well during the visit (no hissing or swatting). Our niece was honestly more interested in playing with Cannoli’s toys and running around the condo.
In the afternoon, I decided to take myself on a solo date and check out a new coffee shop/bookstore, The Wicked Press. I know it might not seem like a big deal to others, but me going somewhere by myself for the first time is a big deal to me. And I’m so glad I went!
I got a really good mango-flavored iced tea, checked out the books for sale, and found a spot in the back to read for a bit; I brought my current library book with me. There were a handful of other people there, and I would definitely go back. Before I left, I bought the book Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering and a cute bookmark.
I joined my parents for weekly date night for dinner, and then came back home to watch TV (including Stephen Colbert’s last episode) and snuggle with Cannoli.
Saturday, May 23
Josh and I went grocery shopping in the morning, and then we headed over to my parents’ house before lunchtime to give Lucy and Stella their lunchtime treats and let Lucy outside; my parents weren’t home for part of the day and asked me on Friday if we could stop by for a bit.
Our afternoon plans included part of my birthday weekend celebrations. We went to the cat cafe where we adopted Cannoli from! (We didn’t tell her we were going, though.)
We booked spots for the 4:00 pm session, which was full; there were 10 kitties in the cafe, and we ended up spending most of the time playing with two young kitty brothers. The staff member at the counter, where you check in and can get drinks/treats, said we looked familiar and asked if we had adopted before. We said we were Whitney’s parents (Cannoli’s first name) and he was happy to hear she’s doing so well.
For dinner, we went to Elicit Brewing in Manchester. We’ve been there before for beers, but I wanted to get food there, too. It was pretty full by the time we got there, but we grabbed two stools at the end of a long table where a group of women was sitting. Josh got a buffalo chicken wrap, and I got a chicken Caesar wrap. We really enjoyed them!
On our way home, we stopped for ice cream—we both got the flavor called Graham Slam.
Sunday, May 24
Unfortunately, it rained all day; the entire weekend was pretty rainy in general, but Sunday was the worst of the days. Josh and I did chores in the morning, and after lunch, we played a handful of rounds of Mario Kart. I received a Nintendo eShop gift card a while ago, and we used that to buy the additional courses the shop offers for the game. And, as usual, I beat Josh in every race but one.
For dinner, we went over to my parents’ house for our yearly birthday BBQ with two family friends. Since it was still pouring, we didn’t get to sit outside (and play ball with Lucy), so we were cooped up in the house or out on the covered porch. We still made the best of it, though.
Food included hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, pasta salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, and baked beans, and for dessert, we had cake and ice cream. And, of course, Josh and I left with plenty of leftovers for the week. My parents got me all cat-related items, because, you know, Cannoli.
Monday, May 25
My birthday! And my mom’s!
Josh and I slept in and made brunch before I opened my gifts. Josh said Cannoli tried to help wrap the gifts and also signed the card all on her own. He gave me a few things I asked for—”Cat Mom” keychain” and a Red Sox shirt—and also a few surprise items—a really cute art piece made of natural materials in the design of trees, rocks, and a fire; a hoodie from the campground where we stay in Maine; and a “bootleg” style shirt with Cannoli’s face on it. The funniest part? I got Josh the same “bootleg” shirt as a gift for Valentine’s Day with different pictures but from the same Etsy shop.
Finally, the rain stopped! We headed down to the Book Barn in Niantic for the afternoon, which was what I requested for my actual birthday adventure. I looked back in my pictures and realized we hadn’t been back there since November 2023, so I was overdue. Between the main barn and one of the downtown locations, I got 15 books.
People sometimes ask me how I decide what books to get. And the simple answer? I just go off of vibes. Sometimes I get books I’ve read before and loved, sometimes I get books that are buried deep on my TBR list on Goodreads, and sometimes I grab random books from the shelves. I don’t mind going off vibes since the books are used and cheap; the prices ranged from $4–$8, so I don’t feel as bad if I end up not liking them since I can donate them to my town library for their annual book sale. (If I’m paying full price for a book, then I do a lot of research and have to feel 100% good about it before spending $30 on a hardcover book.)
Before we left Niantic, we stopped for ice cream at Gumdrops and Lollipops! I thought it would be fun, especially since the weather turned out to be a lot better later in the day, and it would hold us over until we got home to have dinner. I got cherry vanilla, and Josh got strawberry.
When we got home, we fed Cannoli her dinner and made our dinner from some of the BBQ leftovers. I took a quick shower, and then Josh and I watched a handful of episodes of Cohh Carnage playing Kingdom Come Deliverance II.
So, overall, it was a good weekend! Granted, I wish the weather had been a lot better; for some reason, May in New England can be unpredictable weather-wise. Now I need to find homes for all 15 books I got and remember to bring the leftover containers back to my mom so she’s not calling me and asking where they are.
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 