Birthday and the beach!

A lot has happened this week, but what can I expect when it's my birthday! Friday, all the therapists (and some others) all went out to lunch at Portillo's, which is a Chicago based restaurant (famous for hot dogs and such)that just happens to have its only CA location about a mile away from us. I absolutely LOVE their food! Since it was my birthday, I decided to totally pig out and have a bacon cheese burger, fries, onion rings, a Coke, AND a chocolate shake! I also had agreed to work late on Friday (I'm such a sucker), but in exchange I got a free massage! I was planning on getting one anyway, but my boss said she'd give it to me for free if I stayed late. Even though it was a bummer to stay late, it was an easy end to the week.
When I got home Josh and Erin had come over and we all went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory (yes, I was still stuffed from lunch-but oh well!) We had an excellent time and food, except I was so full, I really thought I was going to burst any second! But hey-it's my birthday!
Saturday, Nick and I took the Metrolink train out to the beach. It was fun to take the train, but not so fun to be with all the other IE people going to the beach. We took the train to San Clemente, in northern San Diego County, and the train literally drops you off on the sand. The beach was packed, as one can imagine. We walked on the pier a bit and around the shops (not a whole lot) and grabbed a quick lunch, which was surprisingly reasonable. Even though it was still quite overcast, we joined the masses on the sand and relaxed. I didn't get in the water, but it did feel good on my feet! We didn't stay real long, as that is not Nick's idea of a good time, but it was nice and relaxing. As soon as we knew it, we were back on the train to Riverside. It really was fun to use the train and avoid the crappy traffic and parking. It's hard to say if it is really cheaper, but it certainly is more convenient. Oh-and of course I got sunburned/tanned, even though it was super cloudy. I had put sunscreen on, but not enough apparently!
Today has been a clean-up day around the house. We're still putting some things away from the move. Last weekend, while I was away, Nick put down baseboards in the master bedroom, which look really nice now. He just needs to touch them up. We are slowly chipping away at our projects, but I think that the next one will definitely be tiling the bathrooms upstairs. I can't wait to get rid of that awful carpet in the bathrooms!
This morning I also tried out my birthday present from Nick-a new waffle iron (the flipping kind from college days). I have been wanting one for some time, but finally got one this birthday. It's nice to be able to have waffles, as we had nothing before!
We have nothing out of the ordinary on board for this week either at work or home. We are hoping that August does not get real hot like last year and continues to stay in the 90s each day. We have really been lucky with the heat this summer. We really can't afford to go to the beach EVERY weekend! ;) Enjoy the photos!