Audrey's Caʒ Birthday

Caʒ - pron. "caszh", adj.: suggested spelling for the conversational abbreaviation of casual

I recently read a list of conditions a woman declared for any prospective long-term partners, all relating to childbearing and rearing. It included full time off work from knowledge of conception to kindergarten or age 4, a 'push presen't, a babymoon and a few others. And while I was glad she had such a clear set of priorities and laudable dedication to her future offpsring, I was also grateful Audrey never set any such preconditions on our relationship. Which was good, because I don't think I would have met that standard!

We both knew early on that we wanted kids, and when they came into our lives, she stayed home to raise them, but also managed a day home for many years to offset that cost. It was a great fit for her in many ways, and also helped prepare her for her current work as an educational assistant.

Audrey is a very unassuming and easygoing lady in virtually every aspect of her life (I mean, if you want proof, look who she is married to!), and has always valued authenticity over flash, and fun over image.

For her birthday tonight, she could have picked a fancy restaurant or upscale lounge, but she selected a neighbourhood pub in Lago Lindo called The Thirsty Rhino that some coworkers had recommended. And instead of everyone picking a dish, she suggested the three of us share appetizers instead, but wouldn't dream of calling it tapas.

We had a plate of wachos (waffle chip nachos with their own delicious sauce), two baskets of wings (sweet and spicy Thirsty Rhino sauce and dry garlic parm) and pesto fries with parmesan and balsamic vinegar. Audrey spun a wheel of drinks called 'dangles', a variation on shooters served in a rocks glass with ice that you drink through a straw as quickly as possible. She ended up getting us a round of Black Beards, a combination of dark rum, triple sec, orange juice and pineapple juice - very tasty!

Their beer list is not tremendously diverse but they did have a Hop Valley IPA and Guinness on tap. Our server was delightful, their playlist was enjoyably eclectic, and their desserts were pretty creative (a tiramisu affogato and Boston Cream donut-style cake) so I am confident we will be back.

And Audrey's love of authenticity extended into my gift choice for her - a stained glass decoration to fill the remaining empty space in our living room window.

I got it from Winter Arts Glass Studio, a local pair of artisans who work from their home (like, not ten minutes away) and use an automated web form to arrange shopping visits instead of maintaining a brick and mortar store. I loved visiting with Andre and Leslie, who almost had me talked into coming up with an idea for a commissioned original until I saw the colours on that honeycomb piece.

It is a wonderful thing to be married to a wonderful person who will share a romantic fondue with you on your anniversary, but prefers wings and appies and keeping it caʒ for her birthday - thank you and happy birthday Mrs. Fitz!