23rd Birthday

So last month I turned 23. Weird!!! I'm finally getting around to finally posting the few pictures I have from the glorious day. Since Josh was working until midnight, I didn't really get to hang out with him, or do anything fun with him yet. Equally unfortunate--we haven't had the time to go get my presents that he's going to give me for my birthday. In his defense, he works until midnight every night and has school in the morning, so he can't go on his own, plus he knows I like it when he goes shopping with me--err--I used to. Ha ha ha. It used to be a fun way we would get to hang out together--but now it's slightly depressing. It usually goes like this:
One of us will see something we like and oooh and aahhh, and then look at the price tag, and then one of us is stern, and the other gets sad. Shopping is not always as much fun. When we go separately, it's much easier to ignore the price tags altogether (joking--of course). So, hopefully, this Saturday, we'll get to go to Ikea to buy some of the things I told him I was interested in one day owning. :) Check out the links on the right side of my blog. I think I'm getting the orange duvet cover for sure, and I'm not sure what else he'll buy me for my birthday last month. So, back to the actual birthday. I was pleasantly shocked when I arrived at work on Friday, to discover my awesome friend Nancy made me a birthday cake!!! Seriously! That was really one of the coolest things EVER!!!!! She is my awesome gym buddy, so she made me a tennis shoe cake! She even checked out my shoes the day before and confirmed the colors before decorating! This girl has serious skill! Even more pleasantly surprising, my Mom showed up at work and delivered some cute little cupcakes with skittles and a homemade card in a dish I wanted from Ikea (see pictures below). All in all, it was super exciting! My parents decided they would take the great task of babysitting me on my birthday so I wouldn’t be alone (and also probably so I wouldn’t overindulge in a shopping mall to fill the void of loneliness…or something like that…) so they took me to dinner. We went to The Garden Restaurant on the 10th floor of the JSMB (yes, I get a discount because I work at the Roof!) and it was delicious. I was completely giddy over the abundance of baked goods I received at work. After an evening with my parents we stopped by Cliff and Lee’s house and they gave me a card. I went home, and promptly crashed on the couch while trying to stay up to wait for Josh to come home. Saturday I taught my lessons and came home expecting a grand display of surprise presents from Josh. That was dumb. Where did I think he was magically going to come up with some time to do something big and fancy for me??? Hello! So I was extremely persistent and received my “homemade gift” (you’ll understand the quotes when you see the pictures below) and the promise of the chance to go to Ikea together. The next Saturday (the 30th) we went to dinner with my parents to celebrate both of our birthdays (“ours” being mine and Josh’s). We ate at Al Forno’s and it was good. My Dad’s gnocchi was better than my tortellini, but it was all good nonetheless. Then we went back to my parents’ house for cake (Josh’s birthday cake) and presents (mine). I got some really cool stuff from my parents. I got a food storage starter kit, my red nalgene bottle with 4 sessions with a personal trainer attached, The Whimsical Bakehouse” cookbook, a double boiler (I asked for one after I tried to make fondant and realized I would need a double boiler and didn’t have one), a candy thermometer and my Mom’s recipe for caramels (AWESOME!), the black and white bowls I liked from Ikea (consult the link list on the right), and a Washington D.C. charm for my travel charm bracelet (I’ve had it since I was like 7. We add a charm for every place I’ve traveled). Thursday night before my birthday, Karen and Chris came by and brought me the laundry sorter that they and Temaire and James got me. It was the one I liked from Target (again--the link list). This was a want AND a need!! Thank you everyone!!! I got money from Jayci, and from Josh’s parents, and I have put them toward the purchase of a sweet pair of boots. I should be getting them in the mail today, so I will take pictures and post them. I LOVE THE BOOTS!!!!! So, to the pictures!!!

The card that preceded my homemade present from Josh

My homemade present from Josh
I was testing the new camera I won from work at Company Lagoon Day (did I mention I one a digital camera and memory stick at the Company Lagoon Day? I didn't? Oh, well, now I have. It's a Nikon CoolPix L16. Sidenote: I was so excited about it and was telling a co-worker about it and she promptly rained on my parade. She told me it wasn't that big a deal because anyone that participated in some Corporate Golf Tournament got one--including herself. Pfft. Talk about thunder showers on my cool free camera parade!) I was concentrating too hard in this picture to actually smile.
Less concentrating, more smiling (those are Josh's sunglasses by the way)
Umm, so a litle out of place--but look where our morning paper was...Please explain how it actually gets stuck that way...?!?!?! Oh, and try not to notice my sad dying peony plant below. ha ha ha.
The awesome birthday cake my Nancy friend made me. She is so cool!!!
This is what I looked like when I was turning 23. (I lost a contact boating and they didn't get my order in before--so I look sleepy with my glasses and GIANT forehead--thanks Mom and Dad for the GIANT forehead!!!)
Again, the cool shoe cake nicely displayed with the cute card Nancy gave me. Cupcakes, card and skittles from my Mom. Look how cute they look in my Ikea dishes!!! I was really stupid. I thought the cupcakes were so cool (and this picture does not do them full justice) that I just couldn't eat them. 2 days later when I cracked into them--they were not so...umm...fresh. :0) I ate a whole bite though, so I could feel better about them. Isn't my Mom the coolest??? (sidenote: last year for my Golden birthday [22 on the 22nd] my Mom brought a really cute silver serving bowl filled with gourmet popcorn and some other fun goodies and a plate full of star-shaped sugar cookies with the BEST frosting EVER!!!! and had someone from the office bring them over to my desk. When the girl that brought them to me got to my desk, she had already consumed a cookie, and was on her second. Boy was I glad when this year I answered the door myself--even if my Mom thought it ruined her royal plan. It only made it better to get to see her. :) Plus, she and my Dad got to eat some of my Nancy's cake. Bonus for them).