Saturday
The plan was to go to Bu's favorite casino where we can have their fabuloso buffet but since his folks could not make it, he decided to postpone until next week. As part of my birthday gift, I made breakfast - spinach, mushroom, ham, onion omelet. I thought it would be nice to cook for him

After, went to a foot spa where we both had pedicure - his was special with wrap, mask and sea salt rub. He said it did feel good and his feet felt like brand new! Hehe Then we were off to his "next favorite buffet place" for dinner - Supper Buffet. He loves it here because he can have his crawfish and a lot of other dishes that are really really good! They have an awesome Japanese bar complete with tuna, salmon & yellowtail sashimi and all sorts of sushi & rolls. Then they were serving lobster (which we have not had yet here) with other seafood, beef, and pork dishes. They also have a Mongolian bar where you pick the ingredients you want, put all of it in a plate and they will cook it in front of you at that instant - yum! We left with a big tummy and a satisfied feeling! I guess no more buffets - until next week! So to help the food go down a little bit, we went grocery shopping after Hahahaha

Right after 12midnight, I walked Max outside as an excuse to get my stuff together. When we went back upstairs, I had a blueberry muffin with a lighted candle on it, a birthday gift bag and Chargers boxed See's special edition assorted candies. Of course Max and I sang the famous "happy birthday to you" song

Sunday
It’s a football day for him ever since the season began and it has always been a pain to make him do something on a Sunday for he watches ALL the games ALL DAY! I asked him to spare this day for my "surprises" because it’s his birthday... He agreed. He watched the Chargers game showing at 10am while I did some chores, ran some errands and did the laundry. When I came back at 1:45pm, we had to leave for his 1st appointment. He was getting anxious because he did not have a clue what I have planned for him. He made it clear to me though that if he didn't like it, he will tell whoever straight up - NO, I don't want to do this. Made me very nervous.. So we got to the place and since it says on the sign - Day Spa - he already had an idea what he was there for. The place looked so fancy and you would think they charge a lot - but no! Their prices were very affordable yet the place was so elegant and the staff was so friendly, helpful and accommodating. I found out about this place when I was researching online, trying to get the best deal and service in our area... I guess I got it and I am so happy for the experience they gave Mario... For a long time, I have been encouraging him for us to get a massage. He just did not want to do it. Good thing this place offers Foot Reflexology cos I figured that’s the only thing he would agree on. When I was setting up the appointment, I talked to Alicia, the reflexologist who will take care of Mario, I consulted with her and she convinced me that this will best suite him and she'd even customize it to what she thinks when she has assessed his condition. When we got there, she met us up at the lobby then she brought him in to the room for their session. When Mario came out, he looked so relieved and relaxed and he did say he liked it a lot. What was supposed to be a 30minute session turned out to be longer at no extra cost! They made him feel very special and well taken care of. They made him feel it was indeed all about him and it was his day..

We went back home to chill for a while since dinner reservations were at 6pm. I drove cos it was a surprise and on the way he kept on guessing where I was taking him - he never got it right until we got to this area and I got lost... The plan was to make him wonder until we get to the final destination.. I Google mapped it but still missed a turn.. What a bummer! So the place was a famous Japanese Tepanyaki Restaurant - BENIHANA.


This is similar to the one we go to all the time in Fresno, Japanese Kitchen. In fairness, service was outstanding! Very friendly, polite and "on top of everything" type of crew. Your drinks never go half empty, and your soup, salad, and dessert was on time. Plus they had something extra for Mario since he was celebrating his day - a plate of pineapple slices and cherries. Oh and they took a picture of us and gave us a printed copy! How cool was that... We did spend so much compared to Japanese Kitchen - this is so far the most expensive dinner ever - $90 was the bill plus we left $10 as tip. Wow! But you know what... We still like Jap Kit a whole lot better, food tastes better and more asianly authentic! (is there such an adjective?!) What's weird is that up in Fresno, all the crew members are Asians - cooks, servers, cashiers, janitors - every single one! At Benihana, absolutely not! How would you feel if a Mexican dude served you Japanese food?!? I should give props to our tepanyaki Chef Cortez though for he was very entertaining and he had the skill BUT still not good enough to beat or even match up to Jap Kit. We might not come back considering how much needs to spend and how the food was... I miss Fresno... My birthday is coming up… For the years that Mario & I have been together, Japanese Kitchen is where he always takes me for my birthday dinner.. Hopefully we don't break our tradition.. :)