May Days

Looks like I've been in serious slacker mode!  But in reality there has just been so much going on that I don't feel like I even have a spare minute.  That will continue through the beginning part of the summer, but maybe after that things will calm down a little bit.

The first thing that was taking up so much of my time was bartending school!  Alex and I didn't have a clue about what were getting into when we started, but it was really a ton of fun.  We were up making flashcards and memorizing recipes, playing mind games along the way to help us remember.  We went to class for about four hours per day over the last couple of weeks to see the drinks being made and to practice pouring for ourselves.  Finally, Thursday morning we took our exams and we passed with flying colors!  It's funny to look at it now because when I picked him up that day you could tell that we were both really nervous.  He tried quizzing me on liquor classifications and I was failing miserably and we were quite quiet as we ate our breakfast.  However when we arrived we got through the written exam and each received a 99.5%!  Halfway to becoming certified bartenders and the only thing that stood in our way was the pour-test.  We had practiced for many hours and were both feeling good about our abilities, and this showed as we each set a new record time delivering our recipes.  We walked out with diplomas and new titles...certified mixologists!  I never thought I'd say that, but this whole experience has opened my eyes to fun things that are available to me if I just decide to try them out.

Yesterday we were still on a high from our achievements but even more importantly it was Alex's birthday (the golden one, nonetheless)!  Cale and I had talked and sort of planned out the day and it was nice to see everything come together.  We all got up and met for brunch in the morning before going to the mall to get Alex a shirt for the fancy dinner he thought he and Cale would be sharing later. After a brief hiatus we met up again for tennis and then I went to work while the boys went off for some pampering.  Cale convinced Alex that they were having dinner together but little did he know that more of us would be there to surprise him.  We ate at Evvia and when he walked in his face was priceless; the food was amazing and we had a good time just sitting around the table and talking.  Alex also ordered one of the drinks we learned to make in class, the golden dream, and we felt so classy, haha!  After a long meal we got up and ready to dance at the bar/club next door.  We lasted there for about an hour and then were tired and decided to call it a night.  I gave my gifts (bartending kit, messenger bag, and photo cube) to him and we said goodnight, happy that the day had gone so well.

While there are no more birthdays for me to think about or classes to attend this month, next week is going to be just as crazy!  Annie is finally moving down here and will begin coaching with me on Monday, woohoo!  And then...James comes in on Tuesday for an entire week.  We've got a few things planned but for the most part it's going to be nice to just have time to see each other for once after being apart for so long.  It's my first connection back to Australia and I'm super excited!  After that we're holding the optional banquet, then the coaches are off to the compulsory clinic in Reno, Alex graduates (finally) from Stanford, and around the corner is my birthday!  :)

Birthdays, Bartending, and Bootcamp

What a week.  Being out of season is great but I figured things would slow down, not speed up!  I guess it's my own doing though, with all the activities I recently put on my plate.  Thanks to Amazon Local I am now in bartending school and bootcamp training four days per week.  The bartending deal was something Alex, Cale, and I all jumped on and looked at as something fun we could do together.  We originally purchased it awhile back and never acted on it, waiting for schedules to clear up, etc.  Finally Alex and I decided to just go for it and Cale's going to take the online course when he's finally out of school for the summer.  We have class Monday through Thursday for four hours and each day we learn about a different type of drink:  so far it's been mixes, sours, martinis, and shooters.  Next week they'll pile on more I'm sure and at the end there is a written and a pour test.  It's scary to think about but we're on top of it with our flashcards and we have a study session set-up for tomorrow (just like the good old days back at Stanford).  If we pass our exams we'll be able to get a job at a local bar if we want...woohoo!  In addition to these classes, a great bootcamp workout deal came along and I had to jump on it; for $23 I have five weeks of classes in Redwood City.  It starts at 7am which means I have to actually get up early but also that I'm done by 8am and have the entire rest of the day in front of me!  I feel so accomplished by noon and am loving the fact that the class is really hard and is essentially kicking my butt.  The guy running it is great and highly motivating so there's a chance that I'll continue with them after the deal is over but I'm going to have to see just how much it'll cost me.

It seems like May is the month for birthdays and with the number of gifts that have been delivered to my door you'd think it's Christmas!  I love getting stuff for people though and the wrapping and surprise element of it all makes me so happy.  Allan and Ericka had a birthday party at the gym for Remi and Tula so the team staff attended that and enjoyed the princess (girls)/pirate (boys) theme as well as the homemade tamales (it was on May 5th and Ericka is Mexican so it was legit!).  We almost had more fun than the kids did wearing the fairy wings and playing with the toy swords.  Ahhh, to be young again  :)

Cale's birthday was yesterday so I was able to take a couple gifts off the pile and deliver them to him.  He, Alex, and I spent the evening playing games and talking and then today those two went on a wine tour together.  From the pictures it looked amazing and seemed like a great way to celebrate a 21st birthday!  Tomorrow is my dad's birthday, followed by Mother's Day on Sunday, Blair's birthday on the 15th, and Alex's on the 24th.  I have Mom and Dad's gifts ready to go and Blair's was sent off awhile ago so I think I'm right on schedule.  I'm planning on disrupting the weekend my parents have planned so that we can have breakfast on Sunday morning before they head off to see the Terra Cotta Warriors in SF, so that should be a good time.  And then once May is over, it's all about me and my birthday month!  Kidding.  Sort of  ;)