The 22nd Birthday Re-Cap

So my birthday was AWESOME!! M. told me the night before my birthday that I needed to be ready to go in the morning by 9 o'clock. Even though the day started out rainy (and I mean, POURING) it was super fun! M. started out the surprises by taking me to the Willard Hotel in DC for a special birthday breakfast. The restaurant is Cafe du Parc, & I would highly recommend the eggs benedict with their fresh hash browns - YUM! M. ordered the classic breakfast with sausage, eggs, & toast. We both had a delicious glass of freshly squeezed orange juice -- it was seriously the best way to start my day & of course I loved spending time with M.! After our breakfast entrees, M. had our waiter bring out a special birthday "breakfast dessert" (two pieces of apple tart) with a sweet piece of strawberry finished with a pink birthday candle. We finished almost the entire thing & loved every minute of it! Before leaving we took a special picture together in the hotel lobby -- the Willard is absolutely beautiful!

After breakfast, M. took me to work. It was a busy day with lots of appointments & I worked a lot on the store's new blog (which will be up in October)/our new marketing concepts. I was happy that work was super busy because it made the day fly by!

Once the work day was over, M. picked me up & we went straight to our dinner reservation at Georgia Brown's, an upscale southern inspired restaurant in downtown DC. Since M. & I are both southern born & bred we decided we HAD to give it a try! I started out the meal with a delicious & sweet Georgia Peach martini - SO FABULOUS! It was garnished with a yummy peach puree swirl & a big slice of a ripe peach. The waiter brought out a bread plate complete with two big pieces of cornbread and two fluffy biscuits with creamy peach butter -- again, FABULOUS! Then came the main courses -- M. had the classic southern fried chicken with sweet tea glaze, creamy grits & mashed potatos & I had the shrimp stuffed with crab cakes, creamy grits & delicious macaroni & cheese. The verdict -- M. wasn't too entirely impressed with his meal, but if we go again we will BOTH be ordering the shrimp dish that I had. Mine had the perfect amount of spice & the grits & macaroni were to die for!

After dinner we made our way back to the apartment. M. had cleaned up (it looked wonderful) & set up all of the cards I had received in the mail on our kitchen table along with his gift & a box of cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. I had to take a peek at the cupcakes first -- he got 3 chocolate lava cupcakes, 2 carrot cake, 1 lemon blossom, a caramel apple, two chocolate hazelnut, & 3 red velvet. The cupcakes were delicious of course -- I was really impressed with the lemon blossom, the caramel apple (their flavor of the month) & the chocolate hazelnut (chocolate ganache with a yummy hazelnut crunch).

Next up was present/card opening. I got ome really great cards from my future parent-in-laws, future grandparent-in-laws, future sister-in-law, my grandparents, & of course one from my parents! I was so happy to hear from so many people on my birthday -- it made it extra special! Then M. gave me his preset -- I lost a pair of my Stella McCartney sunglasses (they were black) & have missed them very much. I've wanted to purchase a new pair of black sunglasses, but have just put it off. M. surprised me with a fabulous pair of the newest design of Chanel sunglasses! I was so excited because it was something I would never have purchased on my own (well, maybe, but it would have taken me a while to make the decision)! The pair is perfect and I am so excited to have big black sunglasses again!

After chowing down on some cupcakes & playing with my new sunglasses, M. & I settled down & watched a little TV. I was pretty exhausted from work & loved lounging around.

It was certainly a fabulous birthday; M. planned a wonderful day - one I won't forget! :)

Tomorrow I'll re-cap another special birthday suprise from M.!