My 30th Birthday & Jazz Hands!!!

We stopped at a Harley store so Chris could 'ooh and ahh' over the bikes, and it was unfathomable for me not to give this perky little guy a chance to wear the pink party hat. Unfortunately, he couldn't take his hands off the handle bars to show us his jazz hands, because 'safety is key' when you're a big bad biker, right Chris?

Being the gentle creature that he is, Chris oh so delicately sipped at his mocha!

Thomas didn't humor us by doing jazz hands, but he enjoyed laughing at us, er, with us!

Chris' "courtesy" jazz hands! He wasn't quite as enthusiastic as I had hoped he would be, but beggars can't be choosers! He didn't want his face shown because he didn't want to be the subject of my birthday post so I decided to pick my battles wisely and just snap his hands. Sorry Chris, but it looks like you are going to be my main subject in this post. Please forgive me for all of the empty promises it took for me to get this photo :)

My jazz hands! Wow, are my fingers abnormally long or what?

I didn't have to beg Laura to do her jazz hands. She prefers to call them "spirit fingers." She was a cheer leader in high school. Spirit takes ya high! Right, Laura?

My favorite couple

Sisters :) What a great birthday gift, to be able to spend a weekend with Laura!

I was doing my version of the song, "This little light of mine" I managed to get a chuckle out of Laura, the customary eye roll from Chris and a courtesy laugh from my husband.

I just realized that 2 months have gone by and I haven't yet posted pictures from my 30th birthday. We got to spend a night away in Portland with Chris and Laura and we had a blast. This was my first night away from Berkeley and I was a little apprehensive about leaving her in light of all the recent tragedies we have had to endure. I was probably a little overzealous with the emergency information I left with my parents. She seems to be extremeley accident prone so I made sure to leave Berkeley’s insurance card, her blood type (in the event of a blood transfusion), social security number and every emergency room number within a 25 mile radius for them. After polishing off the last of the donuts I very reluctantly said goodbye to her and off we went!

One of the reasons why it took me so long to post pictures is because I insisted on taking my camera with me on the trip. Unfortunately, my camera/gear is equivalent to a small country and I don't know what I was thinking trying to lug it all over town. My husband carried it most of the time since I was 5 months pregnant and heavy with child. My burden was heavy and he was determined to make it light! He ended up convincing me to leave it in the hotel room and just use Laura's more sensible, compact, travel friendly one.

Laura and I were wildly entertaining on this trip. If I believed in reincarnation I’d have to say we were comediennes in a former life. We teased Chris mercilessly about his jazz hands in the car on the way there. Relief was written all over his face as soon as he was able to drop us off at some boutiques. He knew that was the only thing that would take the attention off of him for a spell.

Thankfully Chris got us there in one piece. His road rage is something to behold. His aggressive driving was a little much for my taste, but he got us there and he is a pretty good driver even though the tension in the car was palpable. Thomas has affectionately dubbed Chris the “angry Italian.” He is not Italian, but he looks like he could be and has the temperament of one. I keep thinking about getting Ridley some therapy or anger management classes, perhaps I could get a 'two for one' price if Chris joins her. Actually, he really wasn't that bad. I think I am incorporating some of my past experiences of crazy car rides. I think Laura has done a fantastic job of taming him :) All kidding aside, Chris is a crazy-fun brother in law and we love teasing eachother. He is kind of the brother I never had.

I harassed Chris about taking a picture of his jazz hands since I’ve had an overwhelming response from people requesting one. I promised him power tools. I vowed to be his best friend, which, surprisingly didn't work in my favor. I even, with Laura’s permission, promised him some "recreational" time with my sister, all to no avail. Laura said the only way he would do it was if I’d buy him a Harley and that’s not in my budget at the moment so I begged and pleaded until the poor guy was so worn down and exasperated he did it. It was my 30th birthday afterall, so he kind of owed it to me. That's the way I look at it anyway :)

I had a fantastic time with 3 of my 'favorites' and I can't wait to do it again next year! Berkeley did super with my parents. I don't even think she knew we were gone. Next time we'll have to go for 2 nights instead. That is, if Chris can endure being with me for that amount of time :)