Celebrating 28!

For the first time in a very, very long time, I had a birthday that left me feeling very spoiled and taken care of. It's not that my birthday isn't normally lovely, but usually we don't make a huge deal out of it. Usually we go out to dinner, I'll open a few presents, and leave it at that. However, this year, my parents decided to drive out, and magically my birthday transformed into a whole weekend of celebration.

The first treat was having my parents grocery shop and cook a wonderful dinner for us Friday, meaning that I got to totally relax after a long day of work. It was especially lovely since I hadn't slept well the night before, so not having to cook was a gift in itself. We all took a quick dip in the pool (which might be the last time this season - it was chilly!), and had super yummy chicken enchiladas that very much remind me of meals at home.

After dinner, it was time for presents! Opening presents in front of Ed and my parents was definitely reminiscent of childhood birthday celebrations, but it was still pretty fun. 

I was gifted a spectacular afghan made my very talented sister, Ashley.

My mother in law gave me gorgeous seat cushions for our new kitchen table, and my parents gave me matching place mats and a platter (that we'll get to use when we host Thanksgiving this year!). Can you tell what my favorite color is?

The final treat of the evening was a delicious birthday cake, complete with candles. I honestly can't remember the last time I had a cake with candles, and it was fun. There is something so fun about the taste of birthday cake. 

The next day we got to make a long awaited and very exciting purchase - pots for our front porch! We have such a huge porch, and it looked so very empty. Ed convinced me that we should wait until after the summer, so my birthday seemed like the perfect opportunity. We saw a coupon in the paper for a nearby place, so off we went!

We ended up with the tall, beautiful green pots. Then we needed some plants to fill them, so we headed to our favorite nursery. My dad may have  been jealous of the price of our succulents, but that's what you get for living in the desert. 

Planting would have to wait, since after we got home, the pots had to be treated to make them last longer (thanks Dad and Ed!), and then we had dinner plans. 

Here's a sneak peak of how the porch turned out:

Now, I was supposed to choose a restaurant way in advance. But with the craziness of everything, it didn't happen. Long story short, we ended up choosing from a slightly more limited selection, and I ended up putting it in Ed's hands. His choice? The Compass, a restaurant at the top of a hotel in downtown Phoenix. I am not really a heights person (flying phobia anyone?) but thought I could do it. Then I found out it was a revolving restaurant, and just about lost it. My family convinced me it would be fine, so off we went. 

The views were pretty spectacular (sorry for the blurriness! The price of a spinning restaurant)

We timed it perfectly, so we got to catch the sunset and enjoy the night sky.

All the seats faced outward, so we all got a great view.

We were all super impressed with the food, and had a great experience. 

And, I got yet another birthday candle! I wasn't going to have dessert, but they brought me ice cream anyways, and it was perfect. 

The next morning, my dad and Ed filled our pots, we had a final breakfast together, and then said goodbye. Heading into it, I wasn't sure about turning 28, but I have a feeling that it will be a lovely year.