This is Forty (So Far)

I woke up Monday morning and, just like that, I was forty. Whoa. As much as I love birthdays, I have had a little bit of difficulty with this one. It just seems so...adult. Responsible. Mature. These are things I have generally considered optional in my life, but now that my age starts with a "4," they feel like a requirement, and that is a little daunting.

However, if this is what forty is going to be like, I think I might just survive. I have been celebrated like a queen so far this birthday month, and I've been loving every minute of it. My mom kicked things off Easter weekend with a fun-filled weekend in Georgia, and this past weekend was chock-full of festivities as well. A girl could definitely get used to this.

I absolutely adore getting mail, and every day this month has been a rewarding trip to the mailbox. My awesome friends and family have sent me cards and some pretty fantastic gifts, too. I've gotten sweet presents, funny ones, practical gifts, and things to take on our beach trip. Apparently, when you are forty, treats abound.

My bounty of birthday gifts.

Friday, two college girl friends that I adore treated me to lunch. We met for Mexican food and had ourselves a little fiesta, catching up, laughing, and sharing some trés leches cake that our very zealous waiter insisted I had to have since it was my birthday. I didn't want to let the poor guy down, so I obliged.

Birthday lunch with two of my favorites.

That evening, we met our friends Les and Melissa at our neighborhood wine bar and enjoyed dinner and some rosé.

We shut the place down! (Granted, it closes at 11:00, but still).

Then we came home and, even though we weren't really hungry, we had to dig into my birthday cake. I think the good people at Drip Cake Bar found a way to capture my essence in cake, something I never really gave much thought to before.

I am in love with this cake creation!

Orange and pink watercolor and edible glitter? Does it get any better?

This masterpiece was chocolate cake with peanut butter filling, vanilla buttercream frosting, and a milk chocolate ganache drizzle, with pieces of Snickers candy bars decorating the top. It is hands down the prettiest cake I have ever laid eyes on, and we enjoyed it every single day for five days before it ran out.

Saturday, we took a break from all of our celebrating and ran a few errands to get ready for our upcoming trip, then broke out a jigsaw puzzle since it was such a gray, rainy day. We ordered pizza for dinner (sorry, beach diet), and caught up on Dateline. We needed a little downtime, because Sunday we had a birthday brunch to attend!

Another day, another (amazing) celebration.

We absolutely feasted on the brunch buffet at Reid's here in SouthPark. Mimosas, Bloody Marys, eggs Benedict, omelets, french toast, grits, pimento cheese hashbrown casserole--you name it, we tried it. Plus, our friends were thoughtful enough to bring cupcakes, and how can you say no to that? Since I personally hate baking, any time someone thinks enough of me to break out the mixer, I am eternally grateful.

Cookie dough cupcakes with caramel drizzle. How sweet (pun very much intended)!

After stuffing ourselves at brunch, we returned once again to our jigsaw puzzle. It's a Tahitian scene, and since we are leaving for that very destination on Thursday, we simply had to finish. We dutifully puzzled our little hearts out while nibbling on some birthday treats I had been gifted, then ordered takeout for dinner and watched the end of the Masters tournament. It was a peaceful wind down after a busy weekend of celebrating. I'm reasonably certain I fell asleep with a big smile still on my face.

And so Monday rolled around and it was officially My Birthday. In a meager attempt to burn off a little of what I've been indulging in, I worked out and walked the dog, then got dressed and treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. Some of you may already know that I'm a cheapskate, so I never get my nails done, but I love it on the occasions that I do. Then I came home and got dressed and ready for my birthday dinner with my sweet hubby. But first, I got to open my gift.

What can I say? Diamonds are my birthstone (thank goodness).

Our trip to Tahiti was supposed to be my gift, but when someone wants to give you a diamond necklace, you gladly accept. Clint wanted give me something I would always have--clearly, he's a keeper.

For my birthday last year, we spent a long weekend in New Orleans, so for my birthday dinner, I thought it would be a fun callback to have dinner at a local restaurant called Cajun Queen, which is in a beautiful old house and serves fantastic creole dishes.  Fried oysters, gumbo, shrimp and grits (for him) and blackened chicken over tortellini in red pepper cream sauce (for me). I can't keep eating like this, but it is certainly fun while it lasts. Somehow we managed to save room for more of that awesome cake we still had waiting on us at home. Everyone keeps telling me that birthday calories don't count, and I hope they're right about that, or I'm going to be swimming in my t-shirt in Tahiti!

Maybe the best part of dinner was the 80th birthday party also happening at the restaurant.
It made me feel so young!

As you can see, so far, so fabulous on this whole forty thing. Getting a year older doesn't have as much of a sting when you are being showered with gifts, treats, and attention. Sigh. I absolutely love birthday month. I'm not sure how this new age will be once the confetti settles, so I'm going to do my best to keep the celebrating going. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to pack for Tahiti.

Nothing much, just packing for a week in French Polynesia.
Like my swimsuit says, "YAAAAAAASSSSSSS!"