Today is my 32nd birthday, and my wife, Laura, made sure I was a very happy birthday boy today by taking me on a “This is Your Life” series of activities. The day began with breakfast at Bayou Bakery, a wonderful place for someone who spent their childhood in New Orleans (like me) or someone who just enjoys the food (like Laura). We had coffee with chicory; bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits; and beignets. Even better? We could bring our dog and eat outside. If you ever find yourself in northern Virginia or DC, take a trip out and enjoy what Chef David Guas has to offer.
Next, Laura and I went to the Smithsonian exhibit, The Art of Videogames. Flashback time: Videogames were a large part of my childhood. I still remember getting the NES system, and I continued to play all sorts of videogames as I grew up. Laura played outside. She never really played videogames, and references to them are largely lost on her. Therefore, you should all appreciate what she put up with as I relived my childhood walking from room to room, looking at the evolution of hardware and software. But lest you think she was bored to tears, let me show you what else the exhibit contained:
That’s right. You can play a handful of classic videogames on huge screens. Even Laura couldn’t resist that. Here’s her, playing Pac Man:
As we were still full from breakfast, we decided to stop for a few drinks before lunch. We stopped at Graffiato. This doesn’t have to do with my childhood or anything. We’re just fans of the place, head chef Mike Isabella, and Top Chef (Isabella was a former contestant).
For lunch, we stopped at Hill Country, a BBQ place named after a region of Central Texas just outside Austin, where I lived for a few years while attending law school and grad school (and miss terribly–the region, not school). It was a yummy, messy time, filled with meat, cornbread, and Shiner beer.
And to cap it all off, we come full circle to my childhood. Laura knew just how to celebrate:
That’s right: cookie cake. I don’t care how old you are, cookie cake is delicious, and I can’t get enough of it. I had a craving for cookie cake a few days ago and made a wisecrack about it on Facebook (remember, I am an adult). Thankfully, Laura saw it, and ordered me a cookie cake. And that was my birthday. Thank you, Laura, for making it so much fun!