Happy Birthday to Me

This past Friday, I turned 32. I had the day off from work and while I wish I could have spent it doing amazing birthday things, alas, I had adult things that I needed to do.

First I had to take my beloved dogger-doo to the vet.

(Miss Bella, wanting me to let her run amok and give everyone kisses)

The vet scared the everlovin' CRAP out of me, telling me that my nine-year-old dog had swollen lymph nodes in her rear legs, which could be indicative of Lymphoma (aka INCURABLE DOG CANCER, my worst fear). After being depressed about it all day and into the next, I got a call from the vet who told me that while the results of tests they ran did not show Lymphoma, she wants me to monitor the size of Bell's lymph nodes to note any size changes.  I can do that.

I also had to go to the eye doctor and get a full work-up for the first time in about five years (yay for finally having insurance). I am a complete glasses "maven", so luckily my prescription didn't change much, otherwise I would have had to replace all, oh, FIFTEEN pairs of glasses that I currently own.

Then I had dinner with my family, and yay for me, I didn't overindulge. My mom and I shared a veggie stromboli, and I only had one piece, despite wanting to eat more. I knew another piece would have sent me past my fullness limit. That didn't stop me from having cake that evening, though.

Saturday was so much fun.

The boyfriend and I went to Baltimore on Saturday to go to Geppi's Entertainment Museum, which was really neat and he totally geeked out over all the comics and toys and stuff.

Then went to Fogo De Chao for dinner. It was AMAZING. It's a Brazilian steakhouse where you pay one price and it's all-you-can-eat meat extravaganza. They bring all sorts of cuts of meat to your table and cut it right onto your plate. There is also a pretty big salad bar with all sorts of fresh veggies, meats, cheeses, and salads. 

I had been dying to go there for, oh, two years? And I finally convinced the boyfriend that yes, I was totally willing to spend that much money for a meal.

We were both a little overwhelmed/confused at first, but we got the hang of it pretty quickly and ate SO MUCH. The highlights were the rolls which were melt-in-your-mouth good, the bacon-wrapped chicken and filet mignon, and the bottom round beef. They had a tendency towards salty, but luckily we are salt fans.

It was expensive (>$100 without alcohol or dessert) but totally worth it for the new experience and the amazing service and food. We had a great time and I was grinning like an idiot. Plus, I got free cake!!!

Additionally, the sunset over Baltimore's Inner Harbor when we left the restaurant was amazing.

Of course, that was the same day that I started Beth's Journey's Diet Bet. Eep.

Basically, if I lose 4% of my weight in the next month, I'll get to split the winnings with other people who also succeed. Right now the pot is at $7600 (with 311 participants), so the incentive is pretty high. 

I got back to the business of losing weight yesterday, Sunday, by staying within my points and tracking my food after two days of not doing so. And that's okay. Your birthday only comes once a year, and I knew that I was not going to let all my hard work go to hell for two days of celebratory eating.