Quarter century.

My 25th birthday was completely great. The two weeks after have been super busy school and work-wise, so apologies for the delayed report.

I woke up that friday morning to lots of kisses and a very excited husband who was so thrilled he couldn't keep straight whose birthday it was. Mine or his? It was a good question, but he was so giggly we never got around to deciding. Then I got my present. Boots. Boots I have wanted so badly for the last three years but never had a good enough excuse to buy them. So Jared got them for me. I put them on immediately, even though I was still in bed and my wide feet barely fit in them.

Here they are. No action shots yet.

They are perfect in every way.

Jared also gave me a pound of chocolates. They went really well with the macarons my sweet mother and sister-in-law sent.

We had the best tacos in the world for lunch. Followed by churros. We walked around downtown Boston and bought an ice cream maker attachment for our KitchenAid. And an ice cream cookbook. Then we got the best Thai food in the city for dinner. But take-out, so that we could eat it at home on our couch while watching Mad Men. It was a really really good day.

On Sunday, we had a handful of friends over for cake and snacks. This year I made a chocolate cake with salted-caramel cream cheese frosting. It was delicious. I'll post a recipe that includes the most perfect chocolate cake I've ever made. It is my go to chocolate cake. (Last year's cake was chocolate with chocolate mascarpone filling and chocolate ganache. Same cake, though.)

The past year has been so life-changing. Last Christmas, I got engaged. I started school again. We planned a wedding. We got married. And moved. And moved again. The crazy thing is that these are only a few of the highlights. I have never felt so blessed. 

Forthcoming personal holiday

via pinterest

It's my birthday tomorrow and I'm feeling kind of giddy. We take birthdays pretty seriously around here and Jared has some plans. That I can't know. Except I've been told that I will love my present and that he bought it forever ago. But those pieces of information are meant solely to torture me since I have now had to wait well over a month to discover and receive this certain-to-be-loved item.

Things I will not be getting (cuz I already asked):
1. A rental puppy
2. A baby animal of any kind
3. A grown-up animal of any kind
4. A california vacation

I'm not really sure what's left ...

Memorial Day weekend is the greatest

The greatest ever. This weekend was so fantastic I almost have a new favorite holiday (not that I have an old favorite holiday; I am an equal opportunity holiday lover (also I can't pick favorites)).

Friday: bicycle shopping, birthday party (Maryn!), vaguely lewd word games, mixed drinks, midnight kick ball, goodnight kisses

Saturday: early morning kisses, patio brunch, tropical French toast, cream of wheat, errands, frisbee in the park, smores, backyard movie

Sunday: church, picnic on the esplanade, more frisbee, avocado sushi, cold fruit, serious talks, long hugs, late night tv, chocolate ice cream

Monday: late morning, perfect eggs, JFK museum, castle island, kite flying, fort climbing, soft-serve ice cream, extra freckles, long naps

I have not a single photo of any of this. I do have a slightly pink nose. And a new kite.
Have you seen this picture by Paulo Octavius? It's from his cool photography series called Same Hill, Different Day.

This is what Castle Island was kind of like. Except with fewer kites. Plus a fort. And an ocean. 

Today, I love summer.

p.s. Did you notice I checked some things off my list?

Leap frog

Mid-February means it is time for the leap frog holidays. This is probably confusing to everyone who does not happen to live inside my head, so it's cool if you don't know what I'm talking about. The thing is that Valentine's day sets off a little series of special occasions in my family and, since they all happen two days apart, I've always thought it's an awful lot like a game of leap frog.

Today is actually the last of the leap frog holidays so I thought I'd recap:

February 14th - Valentine's day
I love this day for its sweetness and its silliness. I also loved my Valentine, whose name is Jared (in case you forgot). I wrote him a little letter and he took me to dinner. It was great. And we laughed a lot. I think we were the only two people in the room laughing. After, we cuddled and watched DVDs because we are pros at both those things. (This day is maybe not all the way over because I heard a rumor about some kind of something coming in the mail ...)

February 16th - Parent's anniversary
They have been married a number of years that I am pretty sure falls around 25ish. That's not an easy thing to do. I hope they can still do it because I like them together.

February 18th - Momma's birthday
(does anyone else call their mom momma sometimes?)
My mom was born 47 years ago. I like that she's around and not just because she = me. She is kind and funny and dedicated. Also really pretty. A boy once told me that if I could guarantee I would look like my mom when I'm her age he would marry me stat. That didn't work out. But no matter, because my mom is a good friend to have around when you have a boy and when you don't. She's basically always good to have around. The best part is that she always will be.



P.S. Writing this made me want to play leap frog because that game is so fun. And then I remembered that, actually, it is fun in theory and then kind of let down when you try to play.

Let's paint the town blue

"Let's paint the town blue, since red is so passé."
- The Pierces

A night on the town - dressed to the nines - to celebrate two birthdays. We hit up a few Boston classics. Regina's Pizzeria in the north end. Top of the Hub for all of fifteen minutes (let down). And then Petit Robert Bistro for amazing desserts.

Jerr commented that he looked through all our pictures a dozen times - they made him so happy because we are all so beautiful.
It's hard to disagree.

Dear friends,
You are lovely. Inside and out. And I never laugh so hard with anyone else.

23 candles

I turned 23 on the very last day of September.

My friends threw me a semi-surprise birthday party a couple of days later. It was a semi-surprise because I knew a few things: There would be a party. Ten close friends. It would be on Friday night. At least part of the time we would be outside. And we needed cars.

Beyond that I was completely in the dark - sometimes literally.

Around 8pm we piled into a couple of cars and started driving. I think we were on the road for over an hour but nobody cared because we spent the whole time singing our hearts out to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and laughing hysterically.

Then I was blindfolded. The cars stopped. And we all got out and started walking. For a while. But we got to where we were going.

And I got dressed (or, more accurately, was dressed) for the party.

They finally took the blindfold off and we were standing in front of the Atlantic Ocean. It was so beautiful. And cold. And perfect.

Midnight beach luau? in October? Illegally? My friends know me so well.

We built a campfire on the beach, sacrificing my skirt to get it going ...
(when I say "we" built the fire, I mean that the boys tried .... and then I did it)

ate Hawiian stir-fry and Vanilla cupcakes with Funfetti frosting - 23 candles in one cupcake is a lot.

We made leis from multi-colored toilet paper ...

and tied on our best hippie head scarves before dancing around the fire as part of a spontaneous fertility ceremony. Undoubtedly effective.

Then it was girls down one end of the beach. Boys down the other.

And we ran screaming naked into the ocean.

I went twice.