my 28th birthday may have been certainly was my favorite birthday yet!!!  it started out with getting to go home and celebrate with my family two weeks before, and then getting to celebrate with jamie’s family the next weekend, as they came in town to visit jamie and his sister hope.  it was so nice to spend time with our amazing families – we love them so much!

and jamie made me pad thai for the week of my bday so i could eat it all week… he’s the best.  and then my birthday itself was just wonderful.  it was a beautiful snowy day, and i got gorgeous flowers from one of my employees as well as from my friends angela and travis, plus i got cupcakes in a jar from my friend julee!  it was so sweet to receive all these lovely things at work, and i am so thankful for these dear friends and for my dear employee claudia too.  and we even got out of work early which was a bonus!  so many other friends and family members sent cards, called or texted.  i love all of you – thank you for making my day so special!  and then jamie came over and brought me some fun gifts and we tried a new dessert place called the inventing room… just wait til you see the photos and video below.  it was really, really cool.  i went to bed feeling so loved and happy.  here are some pictures of my day:

{first off, here’s a fun picture of me at 5 or 6, partying by myself on my trike!  i thought this photo was a good way to start out my bday.} ;)

{jamie NOT ONLY cooked me up some amazing pad thai for the week [with lime wedges inside each container], but he ALSO gave me chopsticks, little containers with crushed red pepper and sesame seeds int he top compartment and sriracha in the bottom compartment, and a whole container of cilantro because he knows how much i love it [with a squeeze of lemon to keep it fresh].  and the best boyfriend ever award goes to the one and only… jamie veurink!!}

{cake at work!}

{gorgeous flowers from my lead, claudia.  she is a sweet person and i’m lucky to have her on my team.}

{and then i received these beautiful flowers from my dear friends angela and trav!  such a stunning bouquet!}

  {i was so happy to brighten my desk with these blooms and then to get to fill my house with them.}

{aaaaaand i also received some yummy cupcakes in a jar from another dear friend, julee!  i love this concept and the cupcakes were fantastic – they came from here.}

{what a lovely, snowy evening for a birthday!}

{jamie came over that evening and brought some surprises!}

{i love this tiara he brought!!}

{he’s a sweetheart.}

{and he gave me THE most delicious-smelling bath bombs, along with a suction-cup wine glass holder for the bath, since he knows i love taking fancy baths.}

 

 

{and he got me this ladder, which is exactly what i was wanting!  i couldn’t believe that he remembered.  it’s perfect for displaying fun dish towels, which i love.}

{look how cute!}

{while i’m at it, here’s my crazy valentine’s day and birthday decor!}

{that night, we went to the coolest dessert shop called the inventing room.  as a sidenote, this brewery is across the street and it looked so snowy on this evening that i had to get a photo.  all this snow made this texas girl feel like she was in a movie or something, haha.}

{this place was soooo cool.  they do all kinds of molecular-gastronomy-type stuff – it’s so fascinating to watch them make the desserts.}

{liquid nitrogen}

{we got three desserts to share.  the first one was a s’mores tart with chocolate pastry cream and burnt marshmallow.}

{sticky toffee pudding with warm butterscotch sauce topped with pumpkin spice cotton candy!}

{the “upside down” – charcoal cookie, blackberry ice cream [stuck to the bottom of the cookie], and coffee jelly!}

{our three delicious desserts!}

here’s a little video of the chef making our desserts, if you’d like to see:

cool, right??

{what a fun little birthday adventure!}

and then the icing on the cake was getting engaged two days later.  best. birthday. ever!  THANK YOU to everyone who made my day and week so special!  you guys are the best!!!  xoxo