Sweet November: My 25th Birthday

Wow, I'm way behind on blogging. The last week has been a whirlwind with birthday and christmas activities, and it shows no sign of slowing down in the next few days before we move. We went out to celebrate my birthday the night of the 23rd. I chose to go to Washington Square in downtown White Bear Lake because I knew it would be a casual, cozy place where we could all hang out and have fun. It ended up being the perfect place, our group pretty much had the whole section of the bar to ourselves, and the big booth we had was perfect for being coming in and out of if they wanted to sit down for a while or eat. There was a band playing and there were holiday lights hanging up all around the restaurant. The big windows with fresh snow falling completed the cozy experience. It really was a great way to say goodbye to White Bear Lake, to Minnesota.... and to friends.

Understandably people usually can't make it to my birthday since they have Christmas stuff going on, but several people took the time to come out and make my night special. It was a very different experience for me to spend the night at a bar until 2 am, since I really haven't done that since before I was pregnant. I was able to relax and have a good night thanks to my brother and his fiance volunteering to come over and stay at my house while Jace slept. Since we were just down the road from our place, I never once worried about him and was able to relax and have a good time. I think it's important to get those nights out once in a while. Even though it usually sounds completely unappealing to me to go out and have some drinks, I was surprised at how much I had missed having "adult fun". My idea of fun usually revolves around staying in and playing with Jace, reading a new book with him, or making a new recipe for him to try. I guess my life is pretty Jace-centric these days... and while it should be to some degree, I still need to have some time away.

Anyways... the night was alot of fun! Tate's cousin Austin was able to come, he just moved home from Arizona last week. He brought his girlfriend Channing with to meet us all and it was great to see them. It's just sad that he's finally back and we're moving away! Wah, wah. I was also happy to see that my pregnant friend Ashley and her husband were able to make it out, I know when I was pregnant I sure tried to stear clear of annoying drunk people! A couple people brought me cute gifts, which they shouldn't have, but of course I loved them all. Tate's sister, Mandi, gave me a cute "Birthday Girl" painted wine glass with the rhinestones, so cute! Rachelle gave me the biggest bottle of wine I've ever seen, and Alli gave me a new board game that I can't wait to force everyone to play, haha! The night ended with the band, and the rest of the bar, singing me happy birthday. Thanks to everyone who came for making my night so great!