kara and i just got back from gabrielle's parents' house, where we had a delightful birthday (g and k's) dinner. miso soup. nice sushi, pork dumplings, delightful tempura carrots, chicken and broccoli, and a cake that rocked my socks. like, ridiculous layers of mocha-ish chocolate and thin white cake layers. and i played chess and checkers with gabrielle's sister sierrah, who's almost eight. ooh, and gabrielle's sister nika made her a powerpoint birthday presentation. exciting conversation about conception and religious undergarments, too.