the rest of the celebration

you didn't think we'd forget to detail the rest of the birthday celebratin' now did ya?

last friday was one of the most glorious days with temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.  it was a windows open, ceiling fans a-blazin', birds a-chirpin' like nobody's business kind of day.   it may have been the nicest birthday, weather-wise, in recent memory.  actually, it just might've been the nicest birthday period.

we spent the day tidying up around the house and finishing up last minute art projects in preparation for the party.  one thing i tell myself every single time we throw a shin-dig is that cleaning all day before a party is dumb when you know it's going to be completely trashed the next morning.  there is no way around it, it makes zero sense, but we do it anyway and even as i get older, that's a lesson i never seem to learn.

this birthday was filled with a lot of my favorite people and a lot of my favorite things, which is exactly the way birthdays should be celebrated.

the day started out so wonderful that i am willing to post a picture of me taken before the introduction of coffee and cosmetics.  my husband gifted me the birthday gift to end all birthday gifts...which i declared will cover me for the next 9 holidays and my 32nd & 33rd birthdays too.

that my friends is my new mac book air (!!!) and those are tears of joy.  awww yeah - it's about to get a lot more tech savvy up in here!  at least i think.  i'm not sure yet really, because i don't exactly know what to do with it yet per se, but i will.  soon.  i promise.

the rest of the day, i surrounded myself with everything i love including this ridiculously adorable $6 birthday gift i treated myself to.  his name is XYZeebs and he is amazing:

and it wouldn't be a celebration around our house if it didn't include ice-cold boulevard beer; a seasonal treat of irish ale was on hand for guests to enjoy...

add in our favorite foods...

(chip tested.  chip approved.) 

and my ultimate favorite cocktail....



some super thoughtful gifts...

and lots of great (and adorable) friends...

and playing catchphrase on the porch into the wee hours of the morning...

...and you have yourself the perfect way to celebrate another year of life on earth.  i honestly can't think of a better way to celebrate than cramming so much awesomeness into a single day.

for the record, the girls' team won.  no matter what you heard or what anyone else says.

Celebration Time

My birthday was Tuesday (Thank you Baby for the super sweet shout out) and on Saturday we invited a few of our friends over to celebrate with us.  Early into the weekend it seemed like the weather was just daring us to have a gathering.  The sun was shining and it was near 65 degrees; But by Saturday evening we had nearly 6 inches of snow on the ground!  However, that didn't stop our incredible friends from getting out in the cold and snow and joining us for what turned out to be a really great time --- and I couldn't be happier that they did!  It was the perfect way to celebrate another year and it just feels damn good to have our friends in our new home.

Need another reason to celebrate? Turns out, one of my oldest and dearest friends from high school lives right near our new house and after reconnecting at out 10 year reunion last summer, I was super thrilled to have her and her hubby join in on the fun.

Made my day.

But let's get one major thing out of the way first:

CostCo sells a 3lb brick of cream cheese.

I'm just saying.

And speaking of incredible things, I have to take this opportunity to thank my super awesome friends for not only gifting us with their presence, but also with some pretty cool gifts!

IKEA. Jack Bauer. The knife.

Duh.

And a special thanks to everyone for keeping our "spirits" up...

Yes, that is a slap bracelet type Budweiser coolie/coozie/koozie (there is some debate in our household over the proper term), who even knew such a thing existed!?

Pizza! My favorite food on earth I'm pretty sure.  (Thanks Chip!)

And at a certian point in the evening, (LATE) what else can you do except break out the board games? We played a hilariously thrilling game of Pictionary. And in the most interesting showing of artistic talent, we give you : "Motion Sickness" by Natalie:

Huge laughs = Best. Gift. Ever.

And because I am feeling particularly lucky this week, a shot of the lucky bamboo Evan sent me....

And in a few little gifts to myself ....

New (old) dining room chairs, some mantle photography and yellow tulips (the best!)....

And last but not least, my craziest obsession to date.  And that is saying something.  I discovered this soap/lotion combo at Anthropologie almost 6 years ago, and fell in love with it.  It carries a pretty unreasonable price tag (as most things from Anthropologie do) so I told myself when I finally owned my own kitchen, I'd buy it to celebrate. Well naturally Anthropologie discontinued the line, but I was able to find it online and finally broke it out this weekend.  Its a little thing...but I just adore this combo! 

Totally worth the wait.

All in all--- a fantastic weekend and one of the best birthdays I can remember! So many things to celebrate and be thankful for!  Thanks again to all our friends for joining us!