The Best Birthday Week EVER!

I am officially having the best birthday week ever. Chris and I do this "birthday week" charade where the birthday boy or girl is surprised with a small gift each day leading up to the big day beginning one week out. It's so much fun to feel like a kid again and to anticipate all of those small surprises and tokens of kindness. Today, I scored some hot cocoa lip balm and matching shower gel. Ah, a shower never smelled so sweet! Chris has done such a fantastic job of making my birthday special. It can be hard having a birthday two weeks after Christmas!

2010, Here we Come!

I'm back to the daily grind today! What better a time to post my first message for 2010? :) Chris and I spent a wonderful New Year's in Chicago with my best cousin Holly, her husband Danny, and their dear friends, Jackie and Mike. We rang in the new year with a magnum of champage, crap cakes, shrimp scampi, roasted veggies and chocolate mousse. I don't think I could ever get tired of Chris' crabcakes! They are amazing! Fresh, crispy, tender, and flavorful, just the opposite of many freezer burnt restaurant varieties. We follow the recipe from Fine Cooking. Here's the recipe.

The rest of the weekend was spent visiting our wonderful extended family in the Chicagoland area, where Chris met me after spending a week in St. Louis with his family. It's always so great to see everyone!

Today, it's back to work, and actually, I'm looking forward to it. I have the best job in the world!