A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood....

Well after one year of waiting, due to Steve's schedule or the weather, Steve was finally able to use his 45th Birthday present - A gift certificate from PilotJourney.com (see old blog post from August 2009). After locating an airport that would accept Steve's Discovery Flight Certificate we scheduled his demo flight. Thank you Regal Air at Paine Field!



The guy on the right is the pilot (the guy on the left fueled the plane). When I first saw Mike's picture I was very concerned about how old he was (which would indicate how much experience he has) since he looked so young. I had no bones about asking him how old he was either after I met him. Thankfully, he is in his late twenties and has been a flight instructor over four years. Okay, so that made me feel a little better and a lot older! Steve actually got to take off, but not land. The plane was a Cesna 152, two-seater only.



After we were finished at the airport, Steve and I decided to take the ferry home since there was a major back up on I-5 due to an accident. So on our way home we stopped at Ivar's.



I have never eaten there, but had heard their food was great! So we took a stab at it and Steve ordered clamp strips and chips with clam chowder on the side and I ordered salmon and chips. Although the meals were fried, they were yummy!!


While we were waiting on our food, I was able to take a picture of the sound. The wind was blowing so the water was a bit choppy.


Overall, Steve, Levi and I had a great afternoon. The ride was nice, the weather was perfect, the food was good and the time together unforgettable. It really was nice just to get away for a few hours.

Until next time...

GOTCHA! Happy Birthday Steve!

The morning started out just fine. Steve left for a tutoring appointment and I got busy putting together his gift, cards and cake.

Yesterday, while I was out, I looked for a small round cake at Safeway. I could not find one, so I opted for a one-serving size round cheesecake. It wasn't your average cheesecake, it was better (yummy, I got a bite or two)! The candles were as big as the cake and the longer it took Steve to get home the more the "4" wanted to slide off.

Once Steve got home, I lit the candles, and then sang Happy Birthday to him. After Steve sampled his birthday cake, he opened up his cards and gift. The cards were cute; especially, the trick card sent from my sister.

This year, I wanted to do something special for Steve on his 45th birthday. For years he has told me he wanted to fly. In the past I have just brushed it off, but after our last conversation, I was surprised to find out that during his time in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) he had actual flown a 1932 Piper under the direct supervision of Hermann Skok. Wow, I thought to myself.....he does know what he is talking about. His passion was real because he had lived it!

So, I did a google search which led me to PilotJourney.com. This website is awesome and it was there that I was able to purchase a 40 minute orientation flight at Boeing Field. I think he is really pumped up.

The day ended with a trip over to the Jumbo Buffet where a few couples (plus dad) were waiting to surprise him. Everything was going well until we got out of the truck. Steve can be most observant when you don't want him to be. He stops, looks at me and says, "I'm not going in. This is a set up". He had noticed to many automobiles in the parking lot.

It didn't take him long to decide he wasn't going to miss dinner, so inside he went. The gang that was present broke into song, singing "Happy Birthday". I think Steve was slightly embarrassed. So he disguised himself appropriately (a Groucho Marx's he is not).

All in all, I think he had a great time. He was definitely unaware of the plot and really appreciated all that was done to celebrate his 45 years of life. (The only other thing he has to see is his picture in the paper and that will happen tomorrow.) Yes, I'd do it all again, just because he is worth it! I love you honey, Happy Birthday!

Slide show is up if you want to see a few more pictures.