A Wonderful Weekend

Well, this weekend has been wonderful!

Last night, I celebrated my birthday in the city with some friends. We started at Petite Abeille, a Belgian restuarant. I’d told Lacey I really wanted Brussels sprouts, and she said they had good ones, so that’s where we went. We started with the cheese croquettes. They were delicious (I mean, how could they not be?) but not what we were expecting–they were pretty similar to mozzarella en carrozza. For dinner, I had the skirt steak frites with the Brussels, and we had a delicious bottle of Sancerre with dinner.

After dinner, we moved over to Rye House, one of my favorite bars in the city. They have an amazing cocktail menu, and although it can get crowded, the vibe is usually relatively chill. It’s on the same block as the restaurant, but I thought I was going to die in that 5 seconds slipping on ice in heels. I am happy to report I am still with the living.

I had friends from all walks of life–this is Jaime, a high school buddy.

Annie, my former trainer’s wife.

And Jenny and Shannon. I met them on the internets.

This morning, I got up bright and early and got on a train to go home to NJ for a party my mom was throwing for me.

Mmm, cheese.

Where’s da coconut?

Okay, fine. This is really why I went home.

Yes, I am slightly obsessed with this dress; thank you for asking.

I like what I see here.

My mom gave a little speech and first totally embarrassed me…

Until she made me cry.

So many cute kids. And apparently all the kids these days are on Instagram, because now they’re all following me.

1. There was a bit of a cake disaster: it somehow got knocked upside down and the top got messed up; it still tasted fine.

2. My parents put 30 candles on the cake. Sparklers. That was a workout in and of itself.

Best photobomb ever.

It was my mom’s cousin’s birthday last week, so we got her a little cake, too. We’re nothing if not equal opportunity cake peddlers.

It was so nice to catch up with all this family I hadn’t seen in a long time, and it was very sweet of my mom to put this together.

What’s your favorite kind of birthday cake? This one was chocolate and banana custard with whipped cream frosting. I can die happy now. Or, you know, hit this milestone birthday and be okay with it.