Born Again

     Last Saturday my daughter Theresa and her wife, Callie,

...drove up from Cincinnati to Columbus to celebrate Callie's birthday.
     This was to be a very special birthday for Callie, as this would be her first birthday as a woman, her true self, the person she's always been inside. 
      Callie's  transition process was completed over the summer and she came out as a transgender woman in July (see post from 7/5/2016).
      And so I wanted to make this a memorable celebration for Callie and asked her what she'd like:  a party, a big shindig, maybe, with lots of people and tons of food?  Or maybe something a little smaller,  like a dinner party in a nice restaurant?
      Callie liked the idea of going out for dinner, but just a small family dinner.  Theresa shared with me that Callie had been talking about getting her ears pierced, so we settled on the plan that Callie and Theresa would come to Columbus on Saturday, I'd take Callie on a shopping-and-ear-piercing expedition and, since Callie was craving Italian, we'd go out for her birthday dinner at The Spaghetti Warehouse,

...one of my Columbus favorite places,

   ...also inviting Tommy,

...and my nephew Randy and his wife, Anusha.

       But, alas, as I am wont to say, man proposes and God disposes, and, as I am also wont to say, the microbes rule, and when Saturday rolled around I was deeply ensconced in a cough-your-lungs-out cold, and couldn't drag myself up for a shopping/ear-piercing trip. 
       So we put the shopping on hold and instead Callie fixed me some of her signature chicken soup,

...which she started with a slow-cooker broth,

...and finished off over the stove.

       I didn't dig into the soup until Sunday, but it proved to be quite curative, at least to my spirit.
      But thankfully, by Saturday night I was up for The Spaghetti Warehouse,   where we had only a brief wait in the lobby,

...which is kind of a fun place, anyway,

...as is the rest of the restaurant.

     The food was, as always, molto yummy.

     Anusha started with the Italian Wedding Soup,

...while Randy had the Minestrone.

      For our entrees we ordered among us:

...The Ultimate Feast For Two,

...The Lasagne Platter,

...The Spicy Shrimp Pasta Al Fresco,

...and the Ravioli

     After our great dinner we all headed back to the house for some Dairy Queen ice cream birthday cake.

     Callie made a wish and blew out the candles,

...Randy and Anusha cut the cake,

...and we all enjoyed,

...this memorable birthday.