This weekend John and I dumped Wes off at another family’s house, got a 4-star hotel off Priceline.com for 40% off, and spent a couple nights in The Big City.

Travel Savvy Tip: Before you bid on a hotel on Priceline.com go to betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel.com to see what rate other people have been winning hotel stays with. These Web sites also teach you about “free rebids” and how to use them to maximize your bidding experience.

Friday night we ate dinner at Christopher’s. It was perfect: ambiance lighting, soft jazzy music, and delicious food. As we ate we realized it had been a long time since we had gone out for a nice dinner together, just the two of us. It was nice.

Travel Savvy Tip: When you stay at a nice hotel, book your dinner reservation through the concierge. First, it saves you the hassle of doing it yourself, and second, often they have partnerships with area restaurants and can offer you discounts or special offers.

We got a free appetizer coupon through our concierge, but we ended up not using it because we were eating early enough to order their early bird special–four courses for $28. I had shrimp cocktail (yum), green salad (yum), Parmesan encrusted halibut (oh my gosh yum) with mashed potatoes and green beans, and for dessert bread pudding (on the floor dying of yumness).

I ordered the bread pudding because they were out of creme brulee, but normally I’m not a big fan of bread pudding. This was until I met Christopher’s bread pudding that’s served warm dripping with caramelized butter sauce. Every bite melts in your mouth and makes you think, “Oh my gosh! This is GOOD!”

The halibut, too, I was surprised by, probably because I don’t eat a lot of fish and the only other halibut I’d had was at Magleby’s (the place that tries to pass itself off as a nice restaurant but is really sub-standard–except for their chocolate cake, which is made by someone outside the restaurant named Lenora and is really to die for), and let’s just say the fish at Magleby’s Was. Not. Good. But the Parmesan encrusted halibut at Christopher’s was juicy and tasty and melted in your mouth. So glad I got that.

After dinner we walked around Temple Square.

There was a concert in the Tabernacle by the Orchestra on Temple Square. It had already started by the time we got there.

We waited outside, and during a break between songs we were allowed in. We heard a song by a 12-year-old virtuoso pianist from Hong Kong and then an orchestra piece by Wagner. I play the cello and love orchestra concerts, so this was a nice treat.

After the concert we walked to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and watched the movie about Joseph Smith. It was sad. Good, but sad. It’s hard to watch a lifetime of trials and hardship condensed into an hour and ten minutes. But it put me in awe of how faithful and obedient Joseph was even when he didn’t know God’s plan for him. No matter your religious background or personal beliefs, you should admire Joseph’s willingness to obey faithfully.

Saturday was actually the reason we came to Salt Lake City. I attended a Zumba instructor training workshop. It’s meant for people who want to teach Zumba but never have. Because I already teach Zumba and am a member of the Instructor Network I could take the workshop for half price.

It was a good review and so much fun! One of my students-turned-instructor was there, which made it even more fun. That’s her on the left, with Lindsey (who led the workshop), and me.

We jammed all day long with the merengue, cumbia, salsa, and reggaeton. It was great to meet the new soon-to-be-instructors, and I set some new goals for myself as a Zumba instructor.

Back at the hotel John and I went swimming, sat in the hot tub, and visited the sauna. The hot tub and sauna felt SO GOOD. And normally I don’t like saunas. They’re too hot. But it felt good on my body after being so active all day long.

Travel Savvy Tip: Before you travel someplace go to Tripadvisor.com and research your hotel, restaurants, and activities. There’s a wealth of information there from other travelers who have been there, done that, so you can know before you go what to expect.

We came home on Sunday and picked up Wesley. He didn’t seem to miss us at all. I didn’t hear much about what he did while we were gone, except that he went to two basketball games, got a pony ride, and had a lot of fun.

Lately a few people in my Zumba classes have been asking how old I am. When I tell them they usually respond like this lady I taught on Friday (imagine Spanish accent): “Twenty-eight? You look like twenty. Or TEENager! No twenty-eight!”

But alas, it is true. Yesterday I turned 28. We didn’t have any candles except for the ones leftover from John’s 31st birthday, but John creatively made them do.

I admit I had low expectations for my birthday this year. I wasn’t terribly excited. But it turned out to be one of the happiest days I’ve had in a long time.

First off, John took me shopping on Saturday. At the mall. With Wesley. Who was Fussy. I mean, does this man love me, or what?

I didn’t know what he ended up buying until last night. I tried to argue that he didn’t have to buy me anything, but I lost that battle pretty fast. I ended up with two nice (and inexpensive) dresses. He also got me a shirt that has stripes because he says I don’t wear stripes enough. Problem solved.

As for the jeans… Long, long ago when I started trying to lose weight I told John my goal was to fit into the same brand and size of jeans I vaguely recall wearing in high school, which were Gap size 5. By the end of high school (after I started working nights at a cafeteria) I had gained weight and didn’t fit into those jeans anymore. And then I went to college and gained more weight. I know jean sizes vary greatly brand to brand, so sometimes the numbers are relative, but I think my biggest size was 11/12 in Juniors (which would be a 10 in Misses? Why are women’s sizes so complicated?). Anyway, after I lost a little weight I was a size 8 for a long time. Then I remember a couple years ago visiting Gap (I usually don’t shop there) and trying to squeeze into size 6 and ending up with baaaad muffin top, and I’m not sure I could even button them up. I probably blocked that memory. Since starting to teach Zumba my tummy has trimmed and toned up enough that I ended up with–Ta Da!–size 4 jeans. Now, it’s possible that Gap has done that size inflation thing that’s supposed to boost your self esteem (where they take a size 6 and rename it size 4). If they did, it worked. So this is how I ended up with two pair of Gap jeans for my birthday. Thank you, John.

The other thing he surprised me with was a box of hand-picked chocolates from See’s Candy. No one has ever given me a box of chocolates before. Ever. I know it’s a small thing, but it just made me feel kind of special. And, yes, that’s a bite taken out of the piece in the middle. Because it’s my own box and I can do that.

Plus my big brother sent me flowers. I don’t remember ever having flowers delivered on my birthday. Again, I felt kind of special.

Lastly, I made my own birthday cake (which is different from the one in the picture above). I made a yellow cake mix in two round cake pans, split each layer in half so I had four layers, and then layered the cake with ice cream and frosted it with whipped cream cheese frosting (store bought). The piece pictured has chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It was dee-lish-ous.

John made me feel like his most valuable person in the world, I got lots of love from family and friends, and now I can say I’m 28.

Yesterday at lunchtime I was rooting through our pantry and found a can of pork and beans that John had picked out the last time we shopped together. When I had asked him why he got pork and beans he told me they’re pretty good with hot dogs.

So that’s what we had for lunch: hot dogs and pork and beans. I realized I’ve never had pork and beans before. Does that mean I failed as a college student? (I have had Ramen, though.)

And I’m surprised to announce that I totally loved the meal. Is that weird? Who knew that hot dogs were so good with pork and beans?

Well, John did. In a couple weeks we’ll celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary. Over the years he has gradually introduced me to various new things I never knew I could appreciate.

FOOD
1. Hot dogs with pork and beans
2. Cheap frozen pizzas (even the Tony Roma’s are good with enough basil and pepper sprinkled on top. In fact, from John I’ve learned that pepper makes just about anything tastier, and from me he’s learned the same thing about basil.)
3. Cheez-Its, frozen prepared meals, and pepperoni

OK, after reviewing my list, perhaps his food influence hasn’t been the healthiest…

FLICKS
1. Star Wars
2. Star Trek
3. Indiana Jones
4. Lord of the Rings

I’m embarrassed to admit that the first (and sometimes the second and third) time I saw these movies I did not understand them. At all. Something about space? OK. Something about cobwebby underground caverns and snakes? OK. Something about little people, a ring, and lots and lots of fighting? OK.

John and I just finished watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And once he explained a few things to me I totally GOT it! And you can just ask him who was bugging him every day: “Can we watch more Lord of the Rings today? Huh? Can we?”

Same with Star Trek. Before the most recent movie came out we watched one of the more recent Star Trek movies (don’t ask me which one). I’ve probably seen it before, but apparently a lot of it had gone over my head. This time I got it, enjoyed it, and was ready for the new movie–which I LOVED.

I never thought I’d enjoy any of these movies, and look at me now. Practically a sci-fi/fantasy movie junkie.

FUN
1. Hockey (When I met John and found out he played ice hockey in college I recall thinking, “BOR-ing.” But once you understand the rules, it’s a pretty great game. We’ve even been to an NHL game in LA, and I was screaming right along with everyone else.)
2. Roller coasters (OK, I’m not as completely sold on the idea of doing loop-de-loops as John wishes I were, but I’m proud to report that I can handle some roller coasters. And this after being the biggest wimp west of the Mississippi growing up.)
3. Water sports (I grew up a little afraid of water, so I never thought I’d enjoy being in the water. John started to break me down when he took me jet skiing at a company party a few years ago. And then again when we went canoeing and snorkeling in the ocean off the coast of Grand Cayman. And again when we snorkeled at Cozumel. Slowly, he’s turning me into a water woman.)

I could go on. Basically, it’s a good thing I picked who I picked to marry, since it turns out your spouse helps mold you into whoever you become over the course of your life. Who knew I’d be a pork and beans-eating, Lord of the Rings-watching, hockey fan?