Happy Birthday John! :)

(August 2007)

First and foremost, today is John's birthday - Happy Birthday!!  John is an amazing husband and father.  Johnny and I love him so much, and we hope he is having a great birthday!  I am proud of my husband and how hard he works at school and work, and how many sacrifices he makes to be a loving husband and father.  I've grown up with John since I was twelve (though technically we've known each other since we were seven), and it is amazing to look back on the past eleven years and see how my adolescent male best friend turned into the man he is today - the man I love.  He is a good man who has big plans to try and make the world a better place through human rights and I love that he is filled with the light of Christ.  I can't wait to spend the rest of his birthdays with him!  And now that he is also twenty-three, he can stop calling me the "older woman".  I'm only 5 days older!!!!!!!  I love you, John, and I hope you enjoyed your birthday, even though you had to work.  You are my best friend - for now, and always.  :)

***

Johnny and I went on a playdate today while John was working.  We met up with Wemi and her boys again at an indoor play area (with dinosaurs) at a mall outside Denver.  It was the same indoor play area we played at when I first met Wemi after moving here.  Although this time, the drive on the freeway was a lot less adventurous - which is a good thing.  In my rush to get out the door on time this morning, however, I forgot to put my camera in my purse, so there are no pictures of our playdate.  We spent a total of 2 1/2 hours at the play area, with about twenty minutes or half an hour devoted to eating lunch.  Some other moms (from the Bowling MNO) - Jenny and Kristen - came halfway through the playdate with their little ones.  Johnny played really nicely even though it was really crowded.  He kept going up to the giant dinosaur climb-on toys and growling and talking to them - it was really cute.  :)  There were a couple of incidents: he fell off of one of the dinosaur toys because he was climbing up on top where you aren't supposed to with socks on; he used another little boys' head as leverage for climbing up something; and he made a five year old girl cry and throw a tantrum because he was staring at her plastic alligator toy.  Other than that, it was a really fun time and Johnny had a blast running around for a couple of hours.  He was also happy that he got some Panda Express chow mein noodles for lunch near the end too.  The most exciting part of the entire event, though, had to have been when we left and it took me half an hour to find my car in the cold.  Yep, I'm a dork.

 

 

For John's birthday dinner, I made spicy/mexican chicken drumsticks, per his request.  I got him a coconut creme pie for dessert, since that is his favorite.  Since I don't care for coconut creme pie and our plan to make chocolate fondue with fruit fell through on Valentine's Day, I also made that for dessert.  :)  John enjoyed his dinner and he said that he is enjoying his birthday as well...I just feel bad for him because he has had a lot of work and studying to do today.  

Mexican Drumsticks

   (as requested by Sasha)

Chicken drumsticks 

About 1/2 bottle of Ortega Taco Sauce

1 packet taco seasoning

{You can also make your own taco seasoning at home really easily or your own Ortega taco sauce which is mainly vinegar and chili sauce, etc.}

Preheat oven to 350*F.  

Arrange drumsticks on baking pan.

Sprinkle with seasoning mix - coat both sides well.

Bake 45 minutes - turn them over halfway through.

Remove from oven.

Place taco sauce in large mixing bowl. 

Add drumsticks and coat evenly.

{I find it is easier to pour sauce on each side and brush on evenly with grilling brush and then flip over and repeat.}

Replace on baking sheet.

Broil 4 minutes on each side or until crisp. 

{Don't skip the last step - it makes the drumsticks crispy and tasty rather than messy.}

Enjoy!