What I wanted to do for my birthday was go into to Chinatown in NYC and celebrate the Lunar New Year with a parade and Dim Sum, but the Superbowl being in close proximity to our house and NYC complicated that. It seemed too daunting. Check in next year – we’re totally celebrating Chinese New Year in style.
I had to pick an alternate plan. As cold as it was, the beach was still my choice. I discovered an awesome arcade while waiting for a friend one evening in Red Bank and promised myself I’d be back with all my guys. It seemed like a good enough time to do that. After an IHOP breakfast.
Yestercades is a good, old-fashioned arcade with vintage video games, great pinballs machines, air hockey, as well as newer gaming systems. I could have played Tron, Ms. Pacman, Berzerk, Centipede, Frogger, and Donkey Kong all day. I don’t think of myself as someone who really enjoys video games – but as it turns out – it’s only newer ones I don’t like. I LOVED this place!
After the arcade, cupcakes and other pastries were procured from Carlos’ Bake Shop. They tasted as good as they looked.
Then, it was down to my beloved shoreline. I thought it might just be a little depressing to see everything frozen and snow-covered.
It was not depressing at all – it was sunny and full of hope. I was reminded that just as I tick days off of these winter months, there is a promise. A promise that there are better days ahead – sunnier, warmer, more carefree days ahead. I was glad to see the beach cloaked in snow like its very own winter coat. When I shed mine, she will shed hers and will meet again soon.
Dennis and I don’t really buy each other many ‘presents’ – although I have my eye on a new camera 🙂 But walking back to the car I was so happy – happy to think that there is not a store in the mall that carries the image of my mom playing pinball with my kids, the handful of beach glass I collected or this…
Should I ever have to tolerate a birthday without all six of us in one place, at one time, I hope to have this picture stuck up on a wall somewhere, or carefully tucked away for a rainy snowy day.
Really Happy Birthday to me.
