have any of you ever heard the song jessica by regina spektor?  i’m a regina spektor fan as it is, and then i randomly stumbled across this song and was dying laughing because the main lyrics are:

Jessica, wake up.
It’s February again, we must get older, so wake up

since my birthday is in february, i just think it’s hilarious and so perfect.

i’ve had a love/hate relationship with february for quite a few years now [okay, maybe not “hate” – that’s a strong word.  i would say it’s more of a love/hesitance]… it’s MOSTLY love, as who doesn’t love their bday month?!  plus february happens to be the month of hearts and chocolate and flowers and cuteness, aaaaand the weather in TX is usually beginning to get pretty decent around this time too.  and so i really really look forward to good ole feb, but then when it comes, i do have a hesitance about it, because it has been a memorably difficult month of year for me too, at least for several of the past years.

it started one year in college when i had a car accident [and some good damage to my car] the day before my birthday.  after that, i would get irrationally nervous every february that i was going to have another car accident, as if i “was due for one” or something silly like that.

and then there was a terrible february, [the worst by far] in 2013, when my grandpa had just been diagnosed with colon cancer and was deteriorating at a rapid rate.  [the thing about these types of situations is that at the time, you’re just doing what you can to get by and making the best of it because what else can you do?  but then you look back and realize how consumed you were in this vacuum of stress and sadness and you never, ever want to go back.]

most of my februarys, though, were not that gloomy, but it just felt like it was the month for dumb stuff to happen – cancelled plans, boy problems, friend drama, and of course a million single awareness days [ha!]… things that might not seem like a big deal if they weren’t magnified by februarys past and the fact that there always seemed to be some hardships.  thankfully, there was always lots of goodness sprinkled in there too, and i don’t want to sound like i’m complaining, because life has treated me pretty darn well, PLUS my family and friends go above and beyond to make my birthday special every single year.  i’m very blessed.  but out of all the months of the year, it has just been one of the more difficult ones, historically speaking.

anyway, my whole point of telling you all that is that i’m thrilled to say that this year, the month of february was nearly perfect and wasn’t shadowed by any negativity!  i know that it’s unrealistic to expect this every year, but let’s savor it and celebrate it this year!  it was stress-free and really, really fun.  i feel so loved and thankful and just happy overall.

and now, for the photos…

{let’s begin with an amazing dinner at stock & barrel!  these were the appetizers for the table: on the left, crushed avocado toasts with spanish chorizo and balsamic gastrique.  on the right, well, i don’t remember exactly what it was, but i know that 1. it was some kind of mushroom, and 2. it was so freaking good.}

{the best beet salad i’ve ever had [and i love beets!].  these were grilled and had a garlic vinaigrette and cilantro…}

{and the desserts, for the table: on the left, devil’s food cake with mandarin ice cream.  and on the right, warm toffee croissant bread pudding with butter caramel ice cream and salted english toffee.}

{i got this valentine-making kit at target plus some heart-shaped notecards in the dollar section and went to town making valentines for friends.  because why not?}

{lots of valentines for lots of wonderful people}

{it sounds cheesy, but it turns out that giving valentines is in fact better than receiving them.  love these people and glad they are a part of my life!}

{a good throwback: me at three and a half, unimpressed with the situation at hand.  i’m sitting with my baby brother inside a kiddie pool with no water in it and there are buckets on our heads.  what is this, some kind of circus?!}

{i watched this little wild man while my parents were out of town one weekend.  it was his first sleepover at my house, and he did good, MINUS the fact that the sounds of the city sometimes really disturbed him, so he would bark incessantly for periods of time.  i need to get him up here more often so he can get used to city life!}

{shiner also learned that weekend that when you stay at sister’s house, you get to go to the sprinkles cupcake ATM and have a cupcake, just like i used to do with lucky.  yep, i spoil them rotten.} :)

{shiner’s first pupcake!  AKA his lucky day}

{he went for the cake first, and then ate the icing pretty much in one gulp.}

{and of course i got one too.  this one was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate chips and raspberry frosting.  the coconut one is still my fave though!  aaaaand we have a worn-out puppy on our hands…}

{shiner also accompanied me to half price books AND he got to go to the lucky dog barkery and pick out a toy.  as i mentioned, #spoiled.}

{i watched the super bowl with mike and his friend corey on the patio at the rustic.  we had a really fun time!}

{…and getta look at that burger!  i realized that it didn’t even matter who won…because i was winning with that thing…}

{i actually spent the second half of super bowl 50 at home chewing bones with this little [okay, so he was doing the bulk of the bone chewing!]… we had started pregaming early and i didn’t want to leave him alone for too long.}

{this guy!  [insert alllllllll the heart eyes…]}

{i love pizza.}

{another fun work trip to california!}

{beer pit stop}

{on the road.  and that sun setting over the pacific will get me every time.}

{getting my seafood fix: clams, mussels, crab, shrimp, scallops, and calamari.}

{we had a yummy lunch at tarpy’s roadhouse in monterey in between vendor/field visits.}

{blackened pacific halibut sandwich with avocado aioli, cucumber, radish, tomato, and apple slaw…}

{it was the perfect place to sit outside and the perfect weather to sit outside.}

{in the fields}

{broccoli!}

{i know i always say it, but there’s nothing like being out in the produce fields.  it’s wonderful.}

{a photo from the road, but i’m not used to seeing california looking so green.  we usually go in the summer, when the hills are golden.  both are beautiful, but it was great to see everything looking so lush.}

{that night, we headed out to roy’s at pebble beach – our favorite restaurant!  it just so happened that the pro-am was going on…so we were all hoping for a few celebrity sightings…}

{aaaaaaaaand we got our wish!  first we saw paulina gretzky, then carlton from fresh prince of bel-air, and THEN.  justin timberlake and jessica biel and baby silas!!!!!!!!!  i really don’t think of myself as the type who gets “star-struck” – i honestly don’t think i’d recognize even the most famous of celebrities if they walked right by me [thankfully morgan and dave were professional celebrity spotters!] – but…i surprised myself.  i mean, N’SYNC was my first concert ever!  JT was my childhood!  and it really was crazy to see him in the wild.  he just looked so normal!  which was really cool.  same with jessica and adorable baby silas.  normal, that is, minus the huge bodyguard looming around them, the nanny with the baby, the guy who went around asking people to stop taking pictures of the baby, and all the people staring…so yeah, what was i saying?  they’re just like us…} ;)

{anyway, back to the real reason we went to roy’s: drinks by the fire with the waves crashing behind us…}

{THIS.}

{…and can’t forget about the FOOD!  here’s my very favorite thing – the surf ‘n turf with butterfish and the short rib – in all its glory.}

{i hardly had room for a bite of dessert, but here’s the famous key lime pie and the creme brûlée!}

{just a couple of cousins – arend at four and me at three – up to our usual shenanigans!}

{this was seriously the best cake ever from linda!  she bought it for me for my birthday on a little excursion to the korean mart that we went on before i left.  she’s so thoughtful, and now i’m obsessed with the super hmart cakes..  if i ever need to buy a cake, i’ll know exactly where to go!}

{earlier in the weekend before i left for japan, i celebrated my birthday with mom and dad.  we missed the others – mike happened to be out of town and mimi was sick, but the three of us had a nice time.  by the way, this is what we do with leftover pie crust…make a berry crumble!}

{we sat out by the fire table and had wine and hors d’oeuvres.}

{cheers!}

{not a great pic, but there’s a luckydog look if i ever saw one!!  and the BBQ shrimp that dad grilled on a cedar plank was so tasty.}

{mom and dad cooked me my favorite dinner – simple but AMAZING spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, and a delicious salad…}

{and for dessert, i requested a pie, so mom made my favorite upside-down apple pie.  it was to die for.}

{for dinner, nama got me a beautiful new camera bag to take to japan!  and i got lots of lovelies from mom and dad too… they made my birthday so special and i’m just so lucky to have them.}

 

{……and fast forward a couple weeks: after a fantastic trip to japan [photos of that trip to come…], i was back in my city!}

{the margaret mcdermott bridge is coming along!  i’m a big fan of santiago calatrava after living in milwaukee for a summer [he designed a beautiful addition to the milwaukee art museum with wings that open and close], the margaret hunt hill bridge, and now this bridge [along with tons of other gorgeous structures around the world].  i can’t wait to see this one when it’s all finished!}

{it’s so fun to come home to birthday presents!  especially when they’re from your BFF.  thank you angela for the beautiful box to store my travel treasures in!  i love it and will always think of you when i see it.}

{another darling gift: the cutest anthro pillow from my sweet parents}

{omg THIS PHOTO.  from a throwback-themed wednesday night crush party 5 years ago, the night after my 21st birthday.  [pretty sure i was still severely hungover from the night before…]  we were the “homecoming court.”  and our darling best friend angela came to pick us up from the bar so of course we had to take a picture together!  these were my people.  […BUT.  those bangz though.  #RIPbangs]}

 {i went to emporium pies with mike and priscilla one evening while she was in town.  i love emporium, and it was so much fun!}

{the dr. love, limelight, and blue steel.  thank you to priscilla for the pie!  it was fabulous and especially fun to get to hang out with those two.  and then we went back to mike’s apartment and had champagne…not a bad way to spend an evening.} ;)

{from my birthday brunch at HG sply.  yes, i know, ANOTHER bday celebration!  they spoil me. :)  this time, mike, priscilla, and mimi were all in attendance!  on the left, a green tea gimlet [ford’s gin, matcha green tea syrup, lime & basil].  and on the right, huevos rancheros [crispy corn tostadas, chile-braised black beans, salsa, two sunny-side-up farm eggs, avocado, pickled red onion & cilantro].  sooooo good!}

{perfect weather and a perfect day.  we hung out for a while, and mike went to take priscilla to the airport, and then later in the afternoon we all had a glass of wine out on the patio.}

{i just had to include this one because it’s typical in our family: dad demonstrating a plane coming in for a landing/some aerodynamics of some sort or another!  haha}

{and THEN we had more pie!  this was peach pie from bread winners!  i’m embarrassed to admit it, but i had three different slices of pie in 48 hours… a slice of mom’s apple pie that i ate for breakfast the day before, a slice of blueberry pie for dinner at my spontaneous pie date with mike and priscilla the night before, and then peach pie for dinner on this night.  YOLO.  i would say that it’s only your birthday once a year, but this was the birthday that kept on giving…so…}

between all that and japan, i don’t think there’s anything that could have made this february any better.  i’m so thankful for all my family and friends who made it special.  love you all.  xoxo