On July 25th I celebrated my 28th birthday. To say I love birthday’s is a total understatement! I love everything about them: the cake, the presents, the party, the special treatment you get all day, the family and friends that reach out to wish you a happy one (some of which you haven’t even heard from since the last birthday), and thinking back on the past year and all that you’ve done. This past year was HUGE for me. I got married, got a puppy, got a promotion at work, moved to North Carolina, bought a house, and started a new career as a Health Coach. Needless to say it was a busy year! All great stuff…I’m a very lucky girl to say the least.
This year, to celebrate, after enjoying the sun at the pool we checked out a new bar down south right on Lake Wylie in South Carolina. It was a really cute place called T Bones. We were strongly advised before going there not to eat the food, which didn’t look too appealing to someone who is health-conscious anyway! The drinks were delicious though. My husband got a cocktail with rum and some fruit juices, and I got one with sweet tea vodka, lemon, and soda water. It was really tasty and lower in sugar/calories than many other cocktails.
Later in the evening, we joined my parents and tried out another new-to-us place that was recommended to us called Rooster’s in Charlotte. It has an adorable rustic décor and the food is all locally sourced and made in their scratch kitchen. We ordered a variety of food to share at the table, including grilled shrimp, beef short ribs, half BBQ chicken, Caesar salad, roasted asparagus, au gratin potatoes, roasted red potatoes…we’re big eaters if you couldn’t tell!
Next we headed home and indulged in some delicious birthday dessert! Most of the time I stick to a pretty “clean” diet, even with dessert (I’ll use things like raw honey or dates as the sweetness instead of sugar), but with birthdays you have to go all out! Since we all like different flavors of cake, I thought cupcakes would be the way to go so we could all pick our favorite. The bakery Gigi’s Cupcakes had a great selection of gluten-free options to choose from. I got their triple chocolate torte, which had the consistency more of a brownie than a cupcake. It was SO GOOD! Gigi’s…we’ll be back.
My family has a special birthday tradition for the presents portion, and it really makes you feel special on your big day: breakfast in bed + presents. Whoever’s birthday it is gets to pick their breakfast menu, then the other family members prep it and serve it to you, along with your gifts. It’s so fun!
This year we did mine the day after my birthday because I had to work Friday morning. They all did a great job! I got so many super thoughtful and generous gifts and cards, even from family that lived far away. With so much that happened in my life this past year alone, who knows what my 29th birthday celebration will have in store?!
