Ken's birthday - all weekend

Ken's birthday is February 12th.  That means that, sadly, we often combine his birthday with our Valentine's celebration.  This year, the girls had their visit with their dad, so they weren't with us for Ken's actual birthday. So, the girls got Ken a card and we took him to lunch on the Friday before since they didn't have school.  We weren't able to get Ken the ShopVac that he wanted since we weren't totally sure which one he wanted, but Ken had a good time at Red Robin with the girls.  We made sure that the waitress knew it was his birthday so we could get him embarrassed - and it worked.

Ken with his free sundae after listening to "Happy, Happy Birthday" by the waitresses (and he's still eating his fry).

Mandy's clay creation for Ken's birthday

The following day, Ken had the horrible task of taking Addie to the kennel to be boarded.  He had a very difficult time taking his baby to be left for the weekend, and I teased him all the way down to Ontario.  I figured since the girls were going to be with their dad, and I had purchased hockey tickets for Ken's birthday, then there was no reason we shouldn't stay in a hotel local to the Arena and enjoy ourselves.  


The hotel is called Aloft.  It's a smaller division of the W Hotel and it was really cute!  It had a '60s theme, but everyone kept saying "Aloha," so we figured it was a '60, Hawaiian thing without the coconuts.  Our room wasn't very large, but we really loved how different it was and the set up.  The bed was actually pretty comfortable, and I always love it when a hotel allows for free wi-fi.  Even better was the fact that the bottles of water were complimentary.  Awesome!  We were such the crazy couple that we got settled into the hotel room and took a nap.  Hey, with Ken's brain cancer and the fact that I was still sick, we had to do it or there was no way we would party after the game.

No closet, just a section with a curtain for your clothes to hang.

Ken and I stopped at Starbucks before the game.  Nothing like a little caffeine to get you going.  We took a walk around the Kohl's that was nearby and then we headed to the Arena.The tickets that I got weren't the greatest, but it is difficult to get right on the ice since the season ticket holders get first pick.  Of course, these same area of seating at an NHL game would cost over $100, so we don't complain.

The game started off really badly.  The Jackals had us beat 4 -1  at the end of the first period.  It did not look good for our Reign.  Ken was torn since he's from New York.  He really wanted to cheer for the "home team," but we figured that a New York team would kick Ontario's butt just like the Alaska team does...there's more skating in those areas than ours.  

Cheesy picture before the game.

The Reign came back in the Second and we were down 3 - 4.  They were starting to score, so that was good.  By the Third Period, everyone was on the edge of their seats.  The Reign got the score tied at 5 - 5.  We ended up in overtime, and I was certain that we would go to a shoot-out, but we took the game in Sudden Death.  By the end of the Second Period, the Jackals were obviously tired.  Our Reign still have an issue with passing, but the game was great, and we left with a victory of 6 -5!  Ken was totally excited that they won on his birthday.


Awesome!!  Now, it was on to Hooter's for our post-game eating.  We had a great time, as always.  Ken loves to check out all of the waitresses to determine who is filling out their shorts the best, and we love to play "are those real?"  Always a good time.  We were not able to use our tickets for the 5 free wings, and we laughed because the Section that had won the wings was full of a Cub Scout Troop. Nope!  We didn't see them at Hooters after the game.


Ken and I enjoyed our beer, wings, and nachos.  I made him get dessert - it was his birthday after all!  The waitress was great and even dug up a candle for the chocolate mousse pie, and then she got a couple other waitresses to sing to Ken.  Yeah!  That's two times of embarrassing singing, but Ken never seems to mind.  He always takes things in stride.

We got back to the hotel late and crashed.  The following morning, we were not only able to wake up late, but we didn't have to get out of bed.  It was amazing!!!  There was no dog to let out, no girls fighting and arguing; just quiet and us.  Ahhhhhh!  We seriously took our time to get up and check out.  Ken and I had just enough time to grab a cup of coffee and then get to the Bass Pro to meet up with Cathie and her family for lunch.


So many times, Cathie Schubert (Cathie Gray from Costa) and I have talked about meeting for lunch at the Islamorada Restaurant at the Bass Pro Shop.  She knows we have eaten there, but they hadn't.  We had a great time sitting and talking.  Ken had met them at Cathie's birthday party last year, but there wasn't the ability for us to sit and chat.  Well, we had this chance, and I loved it!  I'm still amazed that we're the grown-ups now.  Hahahaha!   After we were done eating, Cathie and her husband, Rob, let their son, Miles, go upstairs to play at the shooting gallery.  We all watched him attempt the rifle and then we went our own way. 

Ken and I made sure to get the archery set for Mandy's birthday present since she decided she wants to try it, and then we headed home.

(This was Mandy at the archery range giving it a try.  She loved it!  She won't touch a pistol, but she liked the bow.)

While this was a simple weekend, Ken and I loved it a lot.  There's so much in life that we could do to have the best or go well out of our way, but sometimes, the quiet and simple is the right answer.