I'm 23 now! Hurrah!

This morning, at approximately 4:30AM, I went from being a fabulous 22-year-old woman to a vastly more mature (but still fabulous) 23-year-old woman.

I had an absolutely wonderful 23rd birthday.

Last Sunday, I celebrated my special day with my family. We went to my favorite restaurant where I ordered my usual- pork tenderloin. Yum. After dinner, we went back to my parents' house where I opened gifts and blew out of the candles on my Harry Potter birthday cake.

I received so many sweet and thoughtful gifts. My grandma bought me the Diane von Furstenberg scarf I've been lusting after, and my parents surprised me with a digital camera! I broke my old one back in April and am always talking about replacing it. It was such a lovely gift!

On Monday, we celebrated my and another coworker's birthday by eating lunch at Panera. One of my very creative coworkers made cookies that looked like us- too adorable for words.

Today, my real birthday, I took the day off work (PTO- you still awe and amaze me) and was able to sleep in until 8:45. My mum came and picked me up at 9:30 for a day of shopping.

I also received a very special birthday gift from my aunt and uncle- a Kate Spade travel bag!!!! How fantastic this will be for my upcoming trip to San Francisco!

My mom and I spent almost six hours in our favorite shops and stores and enjoyed a fantastic lunch at J. Alexander's. I ordered a steak burger. It was delicious.

I made my mom retell the story of my birth.

"So what did you do when your water broke?" I asked her.

"I called grandma, and then we went to the hospital."

"What did you tell her? What did she say?" I probed.

"I said, 'My water just broke. Will you please come over and watch Joel while we go to the hospital?' And Grandma said, 'Yes.'"

Thrilling stuff, I know.

This evening, I went out to dinner with Ben and Megan. We tried out a new (to us) restaurant in Over-the-Rhine called Senate. The restaurant is famous for their gourmet hotdogs, and oh man, they did not disappoint!

We had fancy cocktails with our fancy hotdogs. My hotdog featured goat cheese, bacon, and balsamic vinaigrette among other things. It was insanely delicious.

Of course, as Ben and Megan were paying, I clumsily knocked over a glass of water.

The water spilled ALL OVER Ben's wallet, phone, and lap. And I broke the glass. The manager and our waiter were over to our table in about three seconds, so kindly trying to clean up my mess as I laughed hysterically and snorted.

Classy.

After dinner, we ventured to Taste of Belgium, where we each had coffee drinks and Belgian Chocolate Mousse. It was the best dessert I've eaten in 2012. SERIOUSLY. It was.

And it was pretty.

After dessert, Megan and I walked over to Fountain Square to watch the ice skaters and Cincinnati's Crosstown Shootout (the big UC versus Xavier basketball game- UC won! Yay!) on the jumbo screen.

It was a really special 23rd birthday, and as usual, it was a day to appreciate what wonderful friends and family I've been blessed with.

I am currently compiling a list of 23 Goals for my 23rd year. I cannot wait to share it with you all once it's complete!

Oh, and thank you, Mom, for birthing me on that cold, December night...23 years ago :)