Birthday Recap

As my post yesterday stated, I spent half of my birthday at my local Relay for Life.  It's always a great feeling to be part of something as worthwhile as the Relay; I think it was a fantastic way to celebrate being alive. After that, Mr.4444 had told me to go buy myself a new dress so that we could dress up and go out to dinner, so being the dutiful wife that I am, I did! (sorry--none of the pics turned out!) I also bought my first-ever pair of sexy, expensive shoes from a department store (Thanks, Kendall, for helping me shop long-distance!)

[For the record, I never wear shoes like this, and guess what? It turns out that if you pay a little more for a pair of shoes like this, you can actually walk the next day without any pain whatsoever!]

On the way to dinner, we stopped to see Gram 4444 and open some presents--She is so sweet!! I now have some beautiful summer clothes and a gorgeous necklace to wear! Our dinner was at a swanky place called Republic Chophouse. We walked in at eight pm and spent the next two hours in heaven. By the way, heaven is expensive but well worth it; we have never, ever (well, besides our honeymoon, I think) dressed up for a fancy dinner just for the two of us. It was really special.

Here's a glimpse, our appetizer, sea scallops with mango salsa. YUM

And check out this craziness; it surprises even me that I'm thrilled to eat deep-fried squid. 

Mr.4444 and I love our calamari.

One exit before home, Mr.4444 says, "Change of plans; we're not going home; we're going to go listen to Big Mouth and the Powertool Horns!" Sounded like fun to me; why end a perfectly wonderful birthday early? Then, by coincidence (I thought), my sister Michelle, her husband, and a couple of other friends were at the bar, where the dance floor was packed and the atmosphere very spirited. Of course, I figured out that Mr.4444 had arranged for them to be there, and (as if that wasn't cool enough) Michelle then brought in a huge birthday gift bag! Incredibly, incredibly, it turns out that Mr.4444 had waited until literally that morning to buy me a gift, and while I was at Relay for Life, he was stressing out about it, so he Facebooked Michelle for ideas, and she offered to be a Personal Shopper for him!! Oh, man! What girl wouldn't want one of her best friends to shop for her birthday presents with her husband's money?! Michelle chose several gifts for me, all items about which I was totally thrilled, because Michelle is not only beautiful, but she is smart; she used my Pinterest Wish List!! How cool is that?! Mr.4444 loved Michelle before Saturday, of course, but now he adores her and bows to her shopping talents. Thanks, again, Michelle!

What a great day. I am so lucky.

On Sunday, I went to an hour of Yin Yoga (hard-core stretching that are held for 5-7 minutes) followed by another hour of Power Yoga, a healthy lunch, and a 3-hour nap. I can't think of a better way to celebrate a birthday. I can hardly wait for the next one, but I think this one will be tough to beat!