Birthday blowout bananza

Wow. Just wow. I've had a full birthday blowout.

On Thursday I woke up to birthday wishes from my hubby. Our plan was to open presents at lunch, and of course, lunch was my choice, so I chose sushi! E picked me up around noon with some gifts in the back of his car, all wrapped and waiting. We went to Tsunami and got three awesome sushi rolls. I was in heaven!

And, E, as always, gave me the most wonderful thoughtful gifts. I had mentioned to him weeks earlier that I need a new travel journal for our trip to Grand Cayman, because old journals are full. E took this tip to heart and found me the most beautiful journal in the world. It is red leather with smooth creamy paper. But the best part is the Italian marbleized paper edges. E really thought about this gift, he said at first he was going to get lined paper, but decided on un-lined because I like to draw and sketch. He is right of course, and the journal is perfect.
He also gave me and AWESOME cooking class at our favorite Italian deli! In late April both E and I will attend a "Finger foods and cocktails" cooking course. Isn't that just perfect? Appetizers and cocktails are often my favorite part of the meal, so I'm stoked.

And he gave me a miniature dutch oven for Hazel (my pioneer doll). It is really cute, and just the right size for Hazel to cook a large feast in, or it is perfect for us to heat up a sauce in. I love it.

That night, after I was finished at work E and I headed to my Mom's and Chuck's house for a home tour. My mom is doing a major remodel, and we've gone over a couple of times to see the work in progress. Now the kitchen floor is down (the rest of the kitchen is still empty) and the upstairs bathroom is nearing complete.

After the house tour we headed downtown for dinner at the Dodo. I ordered a yummy salad and filet mignon. We had a great time chatting, eating, drinking and ordering HUGE desserts. And my mom and Chuck gave me the new hiking shoes I was hoping for!

After the huge dinner and dessert we went up to E's house to open more presents. I was going to wait until Friday for gifts from E's family, but I was too excited!

Here is what I got from them-
Connie and Steve- Julie's picnic set, Ruby Ballet outfit, and Dollie Dressmaker outfit (all doll things) and cute lip glosses.
David- Harry Potter mug (yes!) and REI gift card
Chelsea- Such a cute Carpatina outfit for Lei Mei

Doll clothes, not baby clothes. ;)

Friday was my mother-in-law Connie's birthday, so that night we met downtown at a Thai restaurant. We gave Connie gifts, ordered Sake and a lot of food and had a great night. After dinner was over we headed back up to E's family's house to have an awesome chocolate tart for dessert. Yummy!

Then on Saturday the birthday festivities continued. E and I had a lazy day and visited Red Butte Garden where the daffodils were blooming. That night we went over to my Grandma's for a celebration with her! Wow, it is amazing how fun all of this is.

My Grandma had gone all-out, like she always does, and cooked up crab cakes for an appetizer at her house. E and I sat down with her and chatted while eating tasty snacks, amazing crap cakes, and sipping margaritas. Soon it was time for presents from my Grandma! I got an amazing little travel tripod that I am so thrilled about! I can't wait to use it on everyday photos, but also on our trip! And I got some money to use when E and I buy a new house.

Photos using my new tripod.

After cocktail hour, we hopped in the car and headed up to Snake Creek Grill (we went there earlier this year, in this post). My Grandma had never been to this restaurant, and E and I were so impressed from the last time, we decided to go back. The drive to Heber was beautiful, but it is amazing how much snow is still in the mountains.

Dinner was fantastic! We ordered spicy onion rings (like we did before), the most amazing pistachio encrusted halibut, and the really yummy gingersnap ice cream sandwich. All three of us had such a good time. We talked about house hunting, starting a family, and such.

After so much fun in just a few days, we were tired. On Sunday E and I didn't do much, but we did plan a dinner party with the guys. The guys all wanted to wish me a happy birthday, and the weather was perfect for a BBQ. Around 6:00 seven friends came over and we grilled hamburgers and onions and had a very intense game of Pictionary. The girl team won (yea girls!), and Mike got funnier and funnier as the night went on. At one point he had to draw "thank you" and before long, we were all rolling on the floor with laughter. Here are some photos to enjoy-

Logan is at the board and everyone looks on.
Mike is the most fun to watch draw, because if you don't guess it, he gets really mad, and it ends up being really funny.
E tries to get his team to guess "bucking bronco" which they didn't guess in time.
I try to draw the word "complete". How do you draw complete? We didn't get it.
Mike tries to draw "thank you" and his team doesn't get it. After the time is called he gets really buggy eyes when he gets mad at his team. Nobody has hurt feelings, instead we all barley can breath from all the laughing.