But where did you find the coconuts?

I surprised Ben at his surprise party with tickets to this for his birthday. And before any of you give me a hard time about buying a gift for him that was really for me, first I'll turn the attention to my dad and tell you about the time he bought a remote control engine starter thing (official name) for my mom's car for her birthday*, and then I'll tell you that if this was really the case, don't you think I would have chosen this instead? How To Dodge Blame 101. You're welcome. There will be a quiz next week.

ANYWAY. Prior to the show we had dinner here and I was once again reminded of how simple and boring my palate is. I think I may be the only person in the universe who doesn't particularly enjoy eating out, especially at fancy restaurants. Give me soup, salad, and a sandwich any day. The food was fine and the environment was v. posh, but we're the kind of people who would choose In-N-Out shakes over souffles nine times out of ten. So, that's what we did.

As we maneuvered through downtown and polished off our desserts, I read an article to Ben about HP6. I can't even tell you how excited we are to see this with Andrew and Lauren next week. Nerd alert! And speaking of nerd alerts, Jake and Cortney will be here tomorrow for a weekend visit!

Once in the theater (which, by the way, is nestled within one of the coolest areas of L.A.), much laughing ensued and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time. There was enough overlap with the movie that I often found myself giggling in expectation of what was to come, but there was also enough creative license that it was refreshingly novel, too. And the people watching! I think shows and concerts are the best venues for this favorite past time because they are some of the few places where strangers from complete opposite walks of life can rub elbows together. A blending of the classes, if you will. Except for the uber wealthy. Because they're all in the front row.

I think Ben had a good time, even though he only got a few hours of sleep that night since he's on the early shift and has to be up by 2:30 am. I packed his lunch last night and put it next to a gift in the refrigerator so he would have something to open up this morning, on his actual birthday. The gift? Two packs of mini lunchables. Like I said: simple, boring palates. But if it makes you happy...

...then Happy Birthday!

*Note: Dad has gotten better at gift giving as the years have gone by and Mom now has some beautiful pieces of jewelry. And who knows...I might need to do a few years of power tools to make up for the musicals. :)