birthday recap

'Tis the season for birthdays at our house, and mine came next. I turned the big 33, and felt well feted by loved ones near and far. As an adult, and in particular as a mother, on your birthday it's really your responsibility to choose to have a good attitude and to make it a good day. To that end, I did a few special things on my special day and it was indeed lovely: I got myself dressed before anyone else; I curled my hair and it wasn't even Sunday; June and I went to the creamery and got donuts for breakfast and we got a helium balloon; I made myself a Dianne salad for lunch; I took a nap in the afternoon.

Later in the evening, Scott came home and we opened some presents from him and from M&D, Laurel & Webb, and Annee,

including this lovely handmade bag (it really pays to be Annee's sister these days). Then Scott and I headed up to Sundance for dinner at the Treeroom. I can't even describe how amazing their peppersteak is. I know it's the most boring and tame thing on their menu, but seriously, it's unlike any steak you've ever had and I'm telling you the exhorbetant pricetag is definitely worth it (once a year).

Friday after bedtime Rachel & Christine picked me up and we went to the movies. (Nevermind the part about Rachel's car breaking down on the way. I suggested we could walk or take the bus but Ken came to our rescue and we did make it in time.) We saw "New in Town" which was pretty cute and funny. Do people really talk like that in the real world? Hard to believe. It was such a treat to go to the movies -- it's been so long. And I even stayed awake the whole time!

Sunday, Rachel came over and made dinner for us while we were at church.
We came home and enjoyed a scrumptious chicken pot pie casserole topped with mashed potatoes (Rachel - you should post a link to the recipe - it was fabulous), plus corn bread, broccoli, and lemonade.

Scott made an amazing yellow cake w/chocolate frosting for dessert (following Zack's 2can recipe) - my favorite!

Dinner was followed by a rousing game of Monopoly. Those who haven't played Monopoly with the Zackrisons before might not completely understand what that means. But Ken & Nate got the hang of the free parking $$, IOUs, bartering, and immunity pretty quick and after eliminating all opponents R&K duked it out to the bitter end, Ken ultimately claiming victory.