Justin has been traveling A LOT lately. Keep in mind, that he normally travels quite a bit - some would say an obscene amount but for several reasons, July and August (and upcoming Sept and Oct) he has been and will be out of the country more than he is in it. Therefore I didn't really expect, or even want, any big party this year. I just wanted to spend some quality time with my husband. Luckily, the weekend before my birthday was a long one and we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday exploring new parts of the city and having a delicious dinner at a new restaurant (more on that later).
However, Justin being more of a party lover than myself, he insisted that I invite a few people over for a few drinks and dinner on my birthday. August is a really busy month for most of our friends and I thought that most wouldn't be able to make it but I was so happy that most of them could - and they really turned my birthday into something special.
It was great to chat with them, get caught up with all the "stuff" we've been up to, vent about "stuff" that is getting on our nerves and generally have a good evening. I had made a cake from Ms. Lawson's "Nigella Bites" - a super sweet chocolate fudge number - that turned out quite well considering I had over baked it a bit. No one sang happy birthday, to my satisfaction (probably the worst song on the planet) and it was an early night, also to my satisfaction since my favourite daily activity is sleeping :)
What I was most surprised at were the lovely gifts that I received - I couldn't believe how well my friends know me and what I would enjoy! My husband had ordered the new Photoshop Elements 10 - which I am SO excited to start using as well as some of my favourite bath products from Lush - I love that we have a bathtub now!
My friend Yada gave me a gorgeous Coach clutch which I adore. I also got a lovely bottle of French wine from my neighbors Tim and Christina which I am looking forward to enjoying with a nice fat steak and some dark chocolate. But, what is probably most relevant to this blog are the gifts that I received from "the gang" - Nathan, Brigitte, Todd, Ariel, Simon, Dilpa and Ben. Can you believe it??
I am SO looking forward to selecting a cooking class from this place! I'm really interested in an Artisan Bread course they have but there are so many others it's hard to choose! And if that wasn't enough, they also got me this!
I LOVE Macarons and I can't wait to break this out one Sunday afternoon while Justin is traveling. Thank you so much to all of my dear friends who sacrificed their Tuesday evening to come and keep me company! Obviously, you all are the reason why I feel so at home in this far-away land. I will never forget you!
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