June Birthdays, Part II

Today was the 22nd anniversary of the birth of someone incredibly special to me. Yes, of course that someone is none other than my wonderful fiancée Sidney. But before we could do any celebrating, we had our daily responsibilities to take care of. I had school and she had nannying to do. And let me tell you, she nannies hard!

When she left to do her nannying, I left to go to school. When I got in my car, I found a nice little surprise waiting for me...

After my class, and because I knew that Sidney and I would be going out to eat later, I decided to get back into my gym routine...at least partially. I had another brotein bar and then I did some HIIT cycling. I then walked out of the gym without lifting a single weight. But that's okay. To prevent the immediate and total catabolism of all my muscles, I had a scoop of brotein and a scoop of BCAAs.

I sure did miss the amoxicillin-esque flavor of the blue raspberry and chocolate mixed together!

Pretty soon after I got home, I was offered a ride in a house-sized piece of machinery.

Sidney's dad took me along for the ride as we cut some rye that had popped up.

It was kind of neat to see the big combine next to the 50 year old 2510. That was then, and this is now.

After all this, Sidney and I were finally off to dinner.

I surprised her with one of her favorite dinner places. This is becoming a tradition for her birthday, really. We went here last year too, although then it was the one on the Plaza and this was the one in Overland Park.

Upon being seated and getting our menu, I decide to take a look at the "SkinnyLicious" menu of lighter fare.

Just kidding!!!

I already knew what I would be ordering, but first there was bread.

I started off with a slice of each and some butter, but we all know that it wouldn't end here.

Oh no, far from it my friends. Before the night was out we got our second basket of bread and finished that off too.

And, like I said, I knew what I'd be ordering. I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich with Monterey Jack cheese and Buffalo sauce with the chipotle mayo and ranch on the side. I always make sure to order extra ranch, because A) they bring it out before your food, and B) they put it in this nifty little thing that resembles a genie's lamp.

Soon enough, though, the rest of our food arrived. I ordered my sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries, and they always bring out some ketchup, honey mustard, and blue cheese along with some other stuff I don't need (lettuce and tomato).

But just look at that chicken! It was big and juicy and fried to perfection with just the right amount of Buffalo sauce. There could always be more cheese, but this was still enough to get the job done.

I alternated between dipping my fries in the ranch and chipotle mayo and pouring the ranch over my sandwich as I ate it.

It really is very, very good. There's a reason why I order it every time I eat at The Cheesecake Factory. In fact, whenever I think about The Cheesecake Factory, I immediately think about this exact dinner. I don't even think about the other 9 billion menu items they have.

But anyway, here comes the interesting part. Being at The Cheesecake Factory, one may expect us to get cheesecake for dessert. But I had other plans...

Yes, right down the street was none other than the Olathe installation of the best ice cream shop in the world! When given the choice between Sylas and Maddy's and cheesecake, Sylas and Maddy's always wins. Actually, given the choice between Sylas and Maddy's and any dessert, Sylas and Maddy's always wins.

In fact, my number one fantasy dessert is to get a scoop of Da Bomb from Sylas and Maddy's and place it between two Sidney-made chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. This creation may be enough to unseat both creme brulee and that chocolate truffle pie, but I won't know until I try it! All I know is that it will happen at some point.

A little later, I took Sidney back up to the house where we put together a rack for our bathroom. Afterward, right as we were leaving, Sidney noticed something on the bookshelf that had not been there before...

I also surprised her with some little birdie earrings while we were at dinner. She enjoyed them along with the books as well. Overall, she said it was a good birthday, and that's all that matters.