So, when I was growing up, my Dad used to take the entire family out to Red Lobster for dinner for special occasions. That was our place for birthday dinners. Red Lobster does not accept large party reservations. Since I started driving, it was my job and to go there, sit there after giving the hostess our name, and wait in the restaurant for everyone to get there. Sometimes I waited for over an hour.
My birthday is in March and it is most often during Lent. My birthday dinner always ended up having to beat Red Lobster. As Catholics, we aren’t supposed to eat meat on Fridays, hence Red Lobster. My immediate family was 12 back then. I would tell them as they slowly got to the restaurant that I would much rather have my birthday dinner at Wendy’s. It never happened.
We (my Mom, brothers, and me) as a family, haven’t really been there since the dinners we had with my dad. I take that back, my Mom, my brothers, their families, and me and Sean went with one of my Dad’s coworkers not too long after his funeral. Sean and I went there a few years ago for Mother’s Day.
My brother takes his family to a steakhouse. Now, I can’t afford steak at all! So, I guess my place is Red Robin. I like that place for my birthday so I asked Sean if that was OK with him for his birthday this year. He agreed. When my Dad first died, my Mom, Sean, and I went there often because we were so broken and neither my Mom nor I could muster up the strength to cook.
There is a Red Robin not too far away from my house and Sean and I used to go there when I could still drive. I always let him get a chocolate shake. For me, I am a huge fan of the guacamole burger! No onions and no tomatoes, medium.
Sean and I went to the Red Robin in Westland on Saturday for his birthday. I even got a chocolate shake with him for his birthday! I haven’t had one of those in so many years! The parking lot hand and extra large parking spot that we parked in. It was comfortable for me to get transferred into and out of my will chair. That never happens!
I told Sean that this is our place because it’s what I can afford. He did not mind at all! I made it a point to force myself to get out and eat in a restaurant in my manual chair because my baby does not turn 18 every day! It has taken me three days to recover from my outing for his birthday and I am not fully recovered yet.