twenty one {part 2}

It’s been awhile since Matt (aka Chef Matt) has made one of his fine cakes, but when his little girl turns the big 2-1, it’s butter cream, fondant time!

{brother love}

Fact: vanilla cake with butter cream and raspberry filling, delicious. Not-so-fun-fact: water beads in large martini glass = accident waiting to happen. It happened.

Birthday dinner at Sophia’s. 

{make a wish}

Good friends — Andrea, Elle, Beau

xoxo, mom

If you know Beau, a birthday celebration goes for a week … or so.

More cake. Dinner with the grandparents at CC’s City Broiler.

Happy twenty-one, pretty girl. Loves.

21

twenty one 

you brought me roses 

a dozen red 

and sweet chocolate cake 

(that’s when i knew) 

my friends surprised me — 

they were all there, 

but i only saw you. 

how strange that i 

can still remember 

your knee touching mine 

and kelly spying on us. 

to be twenty one again… 

i’ll never forget.

For M — Happy 21st anniversary ♥♥

Up in the air

Ready to go up in the air!

At one point, we were low by a dense forest and I said, “This is like Twilight!” lol

Gary our guide, Ren and Matt 

Anniversary dinner at CC’s City Broiler. 

Aunt Jackie’s: perfect filet mignon and lobster tail

Our waiter surprised us with a favorite: 

molten chocolate cake!

5:10 a.m. Matt wakes me up and informs me that I have 30 minutes to be ready for our anniversary surprise. This better be GREAT because I am not a morning person. After a much needed stop for coffee, Matt drives me to an open commuter parking lot, only to be greeted by Gary and his hot air balloon crew! By 6:45 a.m., we are in the carrier, feeling the hot air above us (it is HOT) and warm sun on our faces. It takes me ten minutes to acclimate to the incredible height, then it’s smooth, SLOW flying from there. This is why we've been together for 21 years … Matt surprises me and has an ability to make me smile.

Later we have breakfast, take a long nap (oh, that’s ME, power naps rule) watch Public Enemies — Johnny Depp rules. A perfect day always consists of watching a movie! — and of course, dinner at my favorite place, CC’s City Broiler. It was ambrosia. I have the belly of a Buddha to prove it. ♥