My birthday!

Have you noticed that my blogging frequency has increased significantly?  You are not dreaming because indeed it has!  Lee got me a new computer for my Birthday! :)  YES!  While I am still completely attached to my lil' yellow dell (it has our adoption paperwork, the first 13 chapters of my book, countless photos, documents, etc. etc. Talk about blood sweat and tears!)  its time to move on.  This new computer runs like a dream!!!  Previously, it literally took me days to do a blog entry.  Hours upon hours to upload videos to YouTube, then hours to upload photos to this blog and then write my entries, format it correctly (which stopped happening, hence the extra update of my Macie 9 month entry) and post it.  Now, I have been able to upload photos at a rate of about 10 per 2 minutes.  AMAZING!  Thank you honey for bringing me back to full functioning in the PC world! :)

 

And now,

 

Onto my birthday!

I have to admit, in years past, my birthday was a dread.  I struggled with turning 30, and every year thereafter wasn't a picnic.  This year, however was better!  I have the greatest gift I've ever received!  Macie! :)

And this year, my birthday fell on a Saturday, which meant I didn't have to work and Lee didn't either! :) Yippee!!!

The day was L-A-Z-Y!  Lee took Macie grocery shopping and I slept in LATE.  Till 10! :)  I got up and hung out while Lee worked on the basement, and then took a nap with Macie about 1! :)  Then I went for a mani/pedi and came back and got ready for dinner out!  A guy who works for Lee (Duke) and his girlfriend watched Macie while we went to Lowe's (Had to buy a new dishwasher...ugh), and to MAZZA!  I'm no foodie, nor to I get to eat out frequently, but I would venture out on a limb to exclaim that this is the best food in Salt Lake!  I am never disappointed when we go!  It has become a tradition for my birthday and even was a pregnancy craving go-to last year! :)  They carry a wine that I could just die for.  Come to find out it is on the "best of the cheap wine" list. :)  The menu doesn't say it is cheap, but turns out its a 15 dollar bottle.  You can't get it at any of the state-run liquor stores here in Utah...so you have to go to Mazza!  Its a blend of various grapes.  Cabernet, merlot, malbec, and some more I can't remember.  Let me just say it is fruity, but not bitter, smooth and delicious.  I have to get some!!! It's illegal to drive, fly, or ship into Utah, so not sure how I'm gonna pull it off. :) 

 

All that said, it was a great night, topped off by a trip to the new Trader Joe's!  Lee and I were in heaven, even though the shelves where bare.  We did however come away with one little gem (see below.) :)

 

 

YUM.  Yarden.  This wine was made in the Golan Heights in the area of the Sea of Galilee.  I hiked in the Golan and saw the wineries.  They are high altitude and its just delicious!  Can I tell you how much I love the name, and the fact that there is a BC image of an oil lamp, it says "Galilee" and Mount Hermon is in Golan?  It is my ALL TIME FAVE WINE!  Not that I'm a big connoisseur but once in a while.... :)

Us. :) 

After and appetizer of Israel-worthy hummus and handmade pita, I ordered chicken kabob platter, balsamati rice, Lebanese salad, and two falafel.  Lee got steak and lamb kabobs. 

TO. DIE. FOR. GOOD.

 

I was giddy to come home after church today and finish it off! :) 

Too bad this Trader Joe's is downtown!   But I'm just glad its here!

Me. :) 

We headed to Sweet Tooth Fairy for a sweet treat.  Lee's was a "funfetti" confection and mine, peanut butter chocolate! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

And now...the discovery of all discoveries!  Trader Joe's has FAIR TRADE ETHIOPIAN COFFEE!  In fact, it was the flavor of the week! :)  We don't do Starbucks (they buy Ethiopian coffee for pennies and screw (excuse my language...it gets me riled up!) the Ethiopian coffee farmer out of fair profit for their hard work, thereby directly increasing poverty in Ethiopia which equates to more people giving up their children to adoption!)  So, this is a BIG deal and hard to find.  We can't wait to bring an extra suitcase full of donations to Ethiopia and then bring it back full of coffee! :)  So, in the meantime, this will have to do! :)  Hubby was happy!  He's been kind of spoiled on this coffee since our friend April brought us some back from ET! :)
 

 Here's to 37! :)