richmondbration

October 7th, my date of birth. I left you with this tantalizing picture, taken in its wee hours:

Worms n dirt! Hotel room! 3 am!

But let’s rewind.

October 6th began with a full day of work. 10 to 6:30. The ush.

Then we got all our people and supplies together and we were ready to set off for Richmond for our Americorps kickoff conference.

Then… the “Check Tire Pressure” light came on!

Suffice it to say it took awhile. We had a ludicrously high amount of money alloted to us for dinner ($34?!) and were really wanting to take it as a personal challenge to spend it all. However, by the time we arrived in Richmond around 10, it was like… diner food. Please.

Like:

 

Mozzarella sticks! And I had pancakes that were the most exquisite thing ever. And reassuringly full of carbs, which is good since our next stop was:

 

A bar.

Where I got to blowing out my birthday candles :D That first drink was free. Then there were more…

I danced. I joined friends, old and new, in stirring renditions of “Don’t Stop Believin”!

All kinds of malarkey ensued. And then we returned to our Holiday Inn, where there was Taboo. And WORMS AND DIRT SUNDAES!

Erin, the most awesome and committed birthday celebrater on earth, took a photo montage of the beautiful and delicious birthday treats they created for me.

I will let it speak for itself (particularly since she has a really good camera and actually knows how to use it).

So. Delicious.

I stayed up way too late, and woke up feeling… interesting. Actually, we all agreed that if you can’t get a full nights sleep (8 ish hours) that it’s better to get very little sleep (the 2-3 hours I was coastin’ on the next morning) than an unsatisfying medium amount of sleep (5 or so).

Anyway, it’s just as well I didn’t have an appetite since the Americorps continental breakfast was the sorriest thing I’ve ever seen.

I picked the “apples” (if that’s even what they were) off the top of the danish and tossed the rest of its trans-fat laden awfulness. Then chugged that cup of coffee and then a tea (actually the tea took me two attempts, as in my groggy state the first time I poured brewed coffee onto my teabag).

An info session and a swearing in later, we took a regretfully short and groggy walk around Richmond. I totally approve of the stickers on their signs!

(the local food, not the PBR. Ew.)

And their architecture is quite beautiful.

And then I had a lovely sandwich experience too! I love stumbling on places on their anniversaries.

I ordered the special sandwich, written on that board but a bit difficult to see:

Funny Honey Panani- with brie, spinach, egg, apple slices, and honey.

With the special, a full-sized sandwich and a side (I went with fruit for the sake of treating my internal organs with more respect than the night before) was $5.

And so so so scrumpsh!

Eggs and spinach, okay. Apples and brie and honey, okay. But all together?

YES! I’m telling you, yes!

I’d actually also considered another they had which was similar but with strawberries. But Kyle ordered it and we swapped bites. I love my fellow food sharers.

Then I went home in a daaaaaaaaze. I took a long walk admiring the autumn foliage and thinking about how friggin’ awesome my life is right now, and then my mama arrived home with local, humanely raised pulled pork.

A great birth date.