Mini Anniversary

My wife and I celebrated our 15th anniversary today, the 20th. It was an ordinary day in the sense that the Pacific ocean didn't part nor was there a ceasefire in the Middle East to make it an extra special day. But I think what you do of the day, the little things, make it different.

We didn't have anything planned because it was a Thursday, and not a weekend. Plus, our son had a basketball practice at an ungodly hour, 8:00-9:00 that evening. So any plans of a decent dinner of some sort was out of the question.

At the office, it was pretty quiet. No meetings. No phone calls. In between bites of my bagel, I made a quick call to the florist, The Flower Shop, to confirm my order and delivery time. By early afternoon, the wife texted me with a photo of the flowers I sent her. Delivery confirmed (check!).

We had planned on a "bigger" celebration the next day at Espetus (read a separate post on this), but my wife also wanted some "us" time that evening. The plan was to drop off our son at his BFF's house so they can ride together to basketball practice, while we went to Vida Y Vino, a small wine bistro in Fremont. I haven't been there but my wife has. I heard that it wasn't fancy nor great, but it was local. And that'll do.

When my son got home, he complained of his knee, which he bruised while playing basketball during lunch break. This meant that he couldn't attend practice that evening. We were debating if we should just have dinner or go on with the plan. Knowing my son, he'd rather stay home so he can go online, watch TV, and text with his friends all night, as long as we brought him back something good to eat. And that's what we did.

Off we went to Automall Parkway. Since I've never been to Vida Y Vino, I didn't know where it was. We drove passed it but never saw it. As we got up close, there were people inside but there was no sign. And what was inside didn't look like a wine bar, but a parlor. The darn thing was CLOSED. And to think that I even checked their website before I left the office. Bummer!!! So, what now?

We drove two blocks west to Kaenyama, a Japanese restaurant and lounge. We got in at Happy Hour, so appetizers were 50% off. What a steal!!! We got a bottle of merlot, and a variety of Japanese treats, including Hamachi Caparccio, Fresh Oysters, Crispy Soft Shell Crab, Tuna Tartar, and Hamachi Kama. I think the closure of Vida Y Vino was a blessing in disguise.

On our way home, we grabbed something for our son. We told him where we went, and he said "nooooooooooooooo !!!!"