Birthday free stuff in Phoenix

Stop me if you've heard this one before. I sure thought I already did a post with birthday freebies, but I can't seem to find it. So when people ask me about fun free stuff to do on their birthday, I just keep sending out the same email with this list I gathered from a few different sources (see below for the two main ones). Thought I'd just go ahead and post the info here instead.

Many of these are Phoenix-area-specific, but maybe local business in your area offer something similar. It's worth asking!

Also, as far as I know, this information is accurate. Of course, businesses can change things at anytime.

Things you can do on your birthday without signing up in advance
(Just show your driver's license or other ID with your birthday on it.)

• Liberty Market, Joe's Real BBQ and Joe's Farm Grill each offer a $10 meal voucher on your birthday (can only be used that day). You can even go to all three! This is known as the Birthday Trifecta.
  
• Krispy Kreme - Dozen original glazed doughnuts. (Locations.)
• Harkins Theatres - Free bag of popcorn for customers. (Locations.) I couldn't find anywhere that still offered free movies on your birthday.

Things you need to sign up for online and/or print off before you go*

Free Meal:

• Black Angus - Sign up for the BA Prime Club, and they will email you a coupon when your birthday is coming up for a free steak dinner with purchase of another entree.
• Z'Tejas - Sign up and receive a $15 coupon.
• Genghis Grill - Sign up for their "Build Your Own Birthday" Program, and they will email you a coupon for one free bowl of stir fry.

Free Dessert/Treat:

• Cold Stone Creamery - Kids and adults can join the birthday club, and then print the coupon from your online account. Free ice-cream coupon can be redeemed seven days before or after your birthday.
• Jack in the Box - Print this coupon for a free dessert on your birthday.
• Baskin Robbins - Join the BR Birthday Club for a free scoop of ice cream on your birthday. (They will email you coupons for your free ice cream and a discount on cake 5 days before your birthday.)
  
• Sonic Drive-In - Sign up and receive a free treat (i.e. slush, tater tots, drink) on your birthday.

Not Food:

• Sundrops Nail Spot - Join the online club and receive a mini manicure on your birthday. Includes cuticle treatment, nail shaping and polish. Located: 3949 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix.
• Sephora - Sign up as a Beauty Insider and receive a free lip gloss trio. Stop by a Sephora store to redeem. In-store locations (i.e. Sephora inside JC Penney at Tempe Marketplace) may not participate.

Some of this info came from the following sources - check them out for more birthday freebies:

• Birthday Freebies in Phoenix, AZ
  
• Enjoy your birthday with some free goodies
  

*I signed up for some of these on my birthday last year, and still received discounts, although some of them came later.

Photos by D Sharon Pruitt, Pink Sherbet Photography.

What is a clerihew?

A clerihew is an awesome poetic form. Here is why:

• You get to be snarky.
• It's only four lines.
• Irregular/awkward meter and line length is encouraged.

This is a poetic form that doesn't take it self too seriously. It's meant to sound a bit off beat. You can write about someone famous or anyone you want to poke a little fun at. The first line can be composed entirely of the name of the person you're writing about.

The first two lines rhyme, and the last two lines rhyme (aabb).

Sound like fun? Get your snarkiness out in poetic form, and link up on Perfectly Poetical Tuesday (#PerPoTues) July 12.

More clerihew info and inspiration:

• The Word of the Day is clerihew.
• Clerihew on Wikipedia (examples)
• The Media Drome: Clerihew
• How to Write a Clerihew Poem

Poem/illustration by mr lynch. Here's another one from him, but it was over my head.

A quick update

I'm going to have to postpone the aforementioned "What is a clerihew?" post a day or two. Or three.

I really wanted to get it up today, but I'm still kind of recovering from the emotional drain that was last week plus three migraines in six days plus work has gotten even busier. I say that not to complain, but just so you know where I'm at. (Some of you wonder.) And so that you know that I haven't forgotten about you - or poetry - and I'll be checking back in soon.

The things you could never plan for

There are events we anticipate, plan for, prepare for in advance – maybe days or weeks or months ahead of time. And then there are the other things that come up unexpectedly and cannot be ignored. They are suddenly there, in front of you, leaving you gasping for air with no choice but to stop and rearrange your life as best you can, or, rather, watch as your life rearranges itself before your eyes.

This Saturday, a friend of my family, who we've known since he was just a kid, will be getting married. The invitations went out weeks ago. Ours mistakenly went to my parents-in-law (the Hubs was named after his dad), but, eventually, it made its way to us – hand-delivered by my father-in-law on his way home from work – and we all had a good laugh about the mix up.

But news doesn't always come in carefully selected stationery. Sometimes it's too urgent. I received a text earlier this week telling me that some of my parents' closest friends, friends from another part of their life, who I've known as long as I can remember because they were friends before I was born, just lost their youngest son. I haven't seen him in years, but we all used to play together as kids. He was about the same age as my younger brother – so, mid-twenties. And now he's gone. And I can't imagine what his parents and siblings are going through.

My parents will have house guests this week – one here for the funeral and the other here for the wedding. I went over the other night to help them get ready and brought dinner, because I didn't know what else to do. I guess it doesn't matter what life throws at you – people still need to eat and something always needs cleaning. And, during times like these, we all just take care of each other the best we can. Isn't that what everyone does?

Today, it was a voicemail. Mom's voice was steady, but something told me that when she said "call me back," she meant it. Over the phone, she delivered the news that her Uncle Bud just passed away. When her voice started to waver, we talked about something else. And then we went out to lunch. There's just too much going on right now to process it all. But people still need to eat.

As I was typing this, the Hubs finished his take-home exam for seminary. He came down with a big grin on his face and announced, "One class down, only 23 to go!" (only! 23!)

For now, we have I have my evenings with him back. And on Saturday, we will dress up and go to a funeral in the morning and a wedding in the afternoon. Mom will be checking on flights to Colorado. Everyone will still need to eat, and we'll all just keep cooking and cleaning and working and planning and dealing with the things you could never plan for. And, of course, taking care of each other the best we can.

Amazing What You Learn - in triolet form

Earlier this week, I tweeted "Amazing what you can learn when you ask!" Then I thought "hmmm...that may be a good beginning for a triolet this Perfectly Poetical Tuesday! And here it is...


Amazing What You Learn

Amazing what you learn when you just ask –
Things you never thought you'd know!
Find out facts or get help with a task –
Amazing! What you learn when you just ask
Also might be more than you wanted to unmask
About someone's health or life or personal info.
(Amazing what you learn when you just ask,
Things you never thought you'd know.)

Perfectly Poetical: Triolet

From LSL Buttons

So here it is: June's Perfectly Poetical Tuesday (PerPoTues) with the theme of Triolet.

How to join in today:

1. Write your own triolet, post it on your blog and include a link back to this post.
2. Stop back by, link up and leave a comment.
3. Follow the other links and read some great poetry!

A few other notes:

• My poem post is scheduled to show up after this one.
  
• If you're spreading the word via Twitter, feel free to use hashtag #perpotues.
• If you don't have a blog, you can post in the comments here and skip the linking part. :)

Next PerPoTues will be July 12. The style will be clerihew. That's another new one for me, but I'll tell ya all about it next Tuesday (6/15).

For now, on with the triolets!

On the menu: getting hooked

Last week's cooking ahead experiment was a huge success! Sunday afternoon I made a plan, organized my ingredients, went to work...and then cleaned up the giant mess I made. During the week, I had minimal meal prep - and less cleanup, as well! I think I'm hooked.


So, on the menu for this week...

Monday: Quinoa casserole (trying a new recipe with quinoa, carrots, onions, mushrooms, corn, black beans and vegetable broth)
(Perfectly Poetical) Tuesday: Cilantro chicken with rice and fruit salad
Wednesday: Rodeo stew
Thursday: White Bean and Tuna Panzanella with veggies
Friday: most likely heading to an Ignite Phoenix viewing party and eating there.

Friday evening I made vegetable broth, the quinoa casserole and the sauce for the cilantro chicken. I had already made (and froze) a couple batches of rodeo stew as part of last week's cooking frenzy. Thursday's panzanella is really simple to throw together.

And, just like that, we're ready for the week.

Celebrating beginnings

Yesterday was the last day of the Hubs's first seminary class. All he has left to do is a take-home test.

Then he'll be taking the summer off and is planning to hit the books again this fall.

And, I'm sure there will be plenty of books to hit. There definitely were this quarter!


Yesterday also marked 7 years since our first date. (7 years!) We went out last night - nothing fancy, just burgers and movie - but we had a great time.

And we have a lot to celebrate.


****

Yep, photos by me. Including the grainy one I took of the Hubs yesterday without enough light. Oh well.