Beer 117: Goose Island Matilda or Me, Expounding on Life

Today is my 37th birthday.  Funny, I still think I’m in my late 30s.  Hell, I feel like I’m just 30.  After reading this blog, you may think I behave like a 20 year old…whatevs.

As I get to start another year, I have a few thoughts to share.

1.  I have it good.  I have an amazing husband.  A. Seriously. Amazing. Husband.  Have you met him?  He’s pretty darn amazing.  And cute.  Did I mention how cute he is?

2.  My dogs are awesome.  I wish Flash and Franklin were still around, but we lived and loved and laughed together, had lots of belly rubs and it was good.

3.  I have two amazing families, who I adore.

4.  My friends keep me sane or help me be more insane and they know exactly when to do either.  I’ve known some of them for a year and others pretty much all of my 37 years and I am grateful for each and every one of them.

5.  Me and this house are finally starting to get along.  It’s getting improved a little bit every year.  New furnace, new chimney liner, new roof, new window, new siding…or perhaps my house is a money grubbing whore.

6. I have a career that is awesome.  It allows me to be me - how could I ask for more?  Plus I feel like I’m doing good in this world.

I’ll admit that the past twelve months have been trying and maybe that’s why I’m feeling optimistic about the upcoming year.  It was almost exactly twelve months to the day between when I found out my Mom had leukemia and when we had to put Flash to sleep.  How is that for bookending an incredibly shitty twelve months?

But one has to constantly learn from life and I’ve learned that I have an inner strength that just a few years ago, I would have denied having.  I wish I didn’t have to figure that out in the manner I did, but that’s life isn’t it?  

***

To celebrate my birthday, Gary is taking me out for an afternoon of tomfoolery followed by dinner at our favorite BYOB -- Frankie’s Fellini Café in Berwyn.  You should go there.  It is delicious.  I hope to find some good beer along the way and you’ll certainly be hearing about it in the coming days.

But for now I leave you with a review of Goose Island’s Matilda.  It is a Belgian style pale ale.  It poured a warm, deep apricot color with a thin white head.  It left lots of lacing down the glass as I enjoyed it.  It smelled organic, kind of grassy.  The taste was smooth…slightly fruity like ripe apples with mild hops in the middle and finishing dry.

I have NO IDEA what happened to this photo!
Note to self, should have asked for a camera for this birthday.

We discovered Goose Island Beer Company on a trip to Chicago a few years ago.  Gary just reviewed the Honkers Ale.  I love the labels on their vintage series -- I’m kind of a freak for good fonts.   I am definitely on the lookout for Juliet (a sour!) and the Lolita (framboise!) but feel like most of their offerings are pretty solid.

And on that note, happy birthday to me…and my Dad!  How cool is it that we share a birthday?!?

Cheers!