FOREVER 29

Well after all the anticipation, I finally turned 30! It was a great day.

Jeremy brought me Daylight Donuts for breakfast, which I love. I went to lunch with my friend, Katie. My office had a little surprise cake for me. And I came home to this . . .


30 roses, 3 pieces of cake, birthday decorations and my really, wonderful husband.


Apparently, before I walked in the door, Ivy and Winne also had their birthday hats on. We tried to recreate the moment for the camera, but . . .

They were a little less than cooperative. They didn't really get the concept that we wear hats, we don't eat them. So we tried a picture with no hats.

That went much better! Next, on to opening those 30 gifts! I opened a few in the morning before work and the rest, that night. I needed a break in between! Actually, Jeremy need a break from playing photog!

reenacting my "camera" face

What a GREAT birthday!

the loot

I don't know about you, but I am birthdayed out!!! Perhaps, you've noticed a common theme in all of my birthday celebrating- FOOD! I've had so much cake and goodies over the past few weeks that I did not eat a single bite of the cake Jeremy bought.

But it's been really wonderful. I feel so blessed to be 30 years old and surrounded by such wonderful friends and family! I have way more than I deserve and I can't even imagine how the next 30 years could top these, but I'm sure they will!

Thank you for making me feel special and loved!

The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. – Lucille Ball

Jeremy planned a really fun birthday celebration for us in the Big D. We stayed at the luxurious Joule Hotel in downtown. It was heavenly!!!

It was so nice to get away for an evening and relax & enjoy spending time with each other.

He also made dinner reservations for us at Hotel ZaZa’s Dragonfly. We hadn’t been to the Dragonfly since we were engaged in 2006. And I love it! It was such a great surprise! The food is amazing!

in front of our hotel

at the Dragonfly

We had so much fun talking about our memories of our engagement and how much things have changed since we've been married and moved away from Dallas.

Next, we went to the Iron Cactus (next door to our hotel) for some yummy dessert!

The rooftop had a beautiful view of downtown and a neat infinity pool. It was heated, but it seemed to cool to get in the pool.

But we enjoyed the lounge chairs!

The next day, we went to lunch at one of our favorite Dallas restaurants- Pappadeaux. And- surprise!!!

My mom, Ethan, and Sarah were there!!!!

reading one of the hilarious "30" b-day cards

those "you're old" jokes never get old

Yay! A new paper shredder!

Apparently, this card was HILARIOUS

Jeremy is thinking- my wife is out of control

Ethan, Sarah, MaeMae, me and J

We had a fabulous lunch! I'm so glad my family got to be part of this exciting birthday! All their gifts and cards were so special and it was so sweet that they took the time to join us for a quick lunch. And what an amazing husband I have- the birthday was so much more than I could have ever expected. THANK YOU!!!!

But of course, my mom couldn't just go to lunch with me. She sent me home with THIRTY gifts to be opened on my actual birthday.

WOW- I can hardly wait!!!!!!!!!!

All About the Girls

Well folks, it’s sad, but true- my 20s are coming to a hasty end. More on that later. To celebrate the impending big day, my 3 besties and I headed to Austin for a super fun girls weekend!

We met up in Dallas and Amy, Ali, Melissa and I hopped in the big tahoe and drove to Austin. We stopped half way in Waco to grab some lunch at Ninfa’s and do a little shopping at Spice. We were off to a good start!

Amy & Ali at Ninfa's

Melissa & me at Ninfa's

My friends are super great and surprised with a gorgeous birthday cake. The cake was handled with care all the way from Dallas to Austin.

How pretty!

However, the cake did not exactly make it in "one piece." Actually, it was completely destroyed, but don't think that held us back from enjoying it!

oops!

We arrived at our hotel on Friday afternoon and got settled in. We stayed at the Hyatt Lost Pines, which was a fabulous resort. We toured the grounds, enjoyed a campfire smore, ate at the all you can eat buffet and relaxed in the hot tub. It was so peaceful and relaxing.


The next morning, we were up bright and early for our spa day! We slipped into the spa robe and slippers and sipped on some cucumber water. We were treated to fabulous massages and enjoyed the steam room and other amenities. What a great way to start the day!

our ride for the entire weekend- Thanks, Am!


lunch at TX Roadhouse

After the spa and lunch, it was time to shop! We went to the outlets at San Marcos. Let me just say- wow! Lots of stores and lots of people. It was a bit of a madhouse, but we were able to find a few bargain purchases.

Amy, me, & Ali


flower headbands make you sassy

After only a few hours of shopping, we went back to the resort to get ready for dinner and celebrating the birthdays.

Ali & me

Amy & me

Melissa & me

Before we headed out for dinner, we celebrated the birthdays. Amy so graciously shared her real birthday with me. It wouldn't be right if she didn't get her own birthday cake!

The smashed birthday cake did not hold us back! It was so tasty! We all grabbed a pink fork and just ate it right out of the box.

We went to downtown Austin for dinner at Moonshine. The place came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It was so yummy!!!

the birthday girls

We had such a great weekend- it was everything I could want in a 30th birthday girls weekend. I'm such a really, really blessed girl. I know taking an entire weekend to travel to Austin to celebrate my birthday was a little bit of challenge for these 3 beautiful friends and I can't thank them enough!

Amy, Ali, & Melissa- Thank you so much for coming on my birthday girls weekend. I had such a fun time with each of you and you made this birthday so special for me. I love you so very much!

Am- I know it was hard leaving Brinley for the first time, but you were such a trooper and I can't imagine the weekend without you there! You've been there for so many of my birthdays and for so much more. Your friendship is so important to me! And thanks for sharing your birthday. Happy birthday, Amy!

Ali- Thanks for making the trip all the way from DC and making time to head to TX. You always do such a great job of not letting the long distance get in the way of our friendship. You're such a special friend and I'm so glad you were a part of this. I can't wait to see what this new year brings for our friendship!

Melissa- You have so much going on in your life right now (aka- wedding planning) and I'm so glad you took the time for this weekend. Just like always, you went out of your way to make my birthday so special and fun. I'm looking forward to many, many more great memories with you! And celebrating with you in March!

My besties

PW's Rosemary Bread

And just because I don’t think you’ve heard me rave about the Pioneer Woman quite enough, here is another PW recipe. And this one is so, so good! You really have to try it.

The only downside- you will really want to eat every single one of them. This recipe is so easy and impressive.

I used Rhodes frozen dinner rolls and kosher salt. Buttery, salty bread- how bad can it be???

Buttered Rosemary Rolls

Ingredients:
Frozen, Unbaked Dinner Rolls
Melted Butter, Regular, Salted
Fresh Rosemary, Coarsely Chopped
Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:
Spray a small iron skillet with cooking spray (or coat with olive oil). Place frozen rolls in the skillet, leaving plenty of room for rising. Cover and allow to rise for several hours.

After rising, brush rolls with melted butter.

Sprinkle on chopped rosemary. Brush with additional butter. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Bake according to roll package directions (usually 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes), until rolls are a deep golden brown on top.

Serve skillet on the table.