Jon and I had only been dating about a month before my 23rd birthday. As such, we celebrated it quietly and inexpensively as any new couple might. One thing I might not have mentioned about Jon, save for his apple pie baking skills, is that he is a fabulous chef. I tend to cook most of our meals now, only because he's in grad school twice a week, but the boy really can cook.
On that first birthday together, he made me my favorite pasta dish, rigatoni a la vodka, from scratch. It's a dish I first had while at college in Richmond, at the amazing Pasta Luna*, and he knew how much I craved it. His version was absolutely delicious and tasted much like the original, but wouldn't you know, he hasn't made it for me since that first birthday.
He was planning on finally making it for me again for my birthday on Sunday, but by the time we got back from our weekend at Penn State, neither of us wanted to push a cart through the grocery store to pick up the ingredients. Thus, my birthday dinner ended up being spinach dip and chicken wings, devoured in front of the t.v. to catch the football game!
Despite not getting my homemade rigatoni a la vodka, Jon did spoil me rotten in an effort to soften the blow of entering my late twenties (thank you, Daddy Dan, for considering it mid-twenties, but I think SLynnRo may be right). Not only did he get me the SpookyTown cruise ship for my collection, he also bought me not one, but two Coach bags! Okay, so I've known about them for a month or so since I picked them out, but still, two whole bags!
The first is a black leather Lunch Tote (what an odd name!) which I'll be using as my everyday fall/winter bag. The shape fits perfectly on my frame, the straps stay on my shoulders, it has pockets a plenty and most importantly, it holds all my crap! I like it because it's simple and timeless and it doesn't have the loud Coach logo emblazened across it. Since I haven't had time to take a picture, here's one I found on Ebay:
He even bought me the most darling Coach houndstooth scarf to tie on it.
The second bag is a Heritage Swingpack in a tasteful mono print in tan with turquoise accents. He bought it specifically with all of our travels in mind because, as he put it, my little Burberry pack is "looking ratty". I think not, but who am I to turn down a new travel bag?! I couldn't find the exact color combination online, but here is one in pink...just imagine mine with turquoise accents! It's the perfect bag to take on day trips while on cruises or vacation.
Oh, and in addition to all the gifts, Jon baked me a homemade apple pie which we ate at the tailgate on Sunday. He even brought candles for me to blow out, but unfortunately, the wind wouldn't cooperate and I only managed to blow out one because the wind kept extinguishing them as soon as they were lit. He's an awesome hubs :)
Speaking of awesome, I got the best birthday package in the mail from Jon's parents yesterday. Inside I found a gorgeous J.Crew cardigan, a Gap sweater in my favorite shade of green, a handy monogramed notebook for my purse (great for writing down blog ideas on the go!) and best of all, a Halloween candle holder with a spooky witch standing in front of a huge full moon. I'll be sure to take a picture of it when I post my Halloween photos. Coming from Bethlehem, PA, there were, of course, Halloween Peeps and Tastykakes in the package too!
My parents, knowing me all too well, gave me cash which I'm trying to hold onto for at least a week. Money tends to burn a hole in my pocket. I have several ideas of what I might like to spend my money on, but haven't made any decisions yet. The front runners so far are a fixed 50mm lens for my camera, a new pair of tall, leather boots, or some nice clothes to add to my fall wardrobe. Or I could save it to pay for my $1,400 do-over root canal, which is going down next Tuesday, though that would barely make a dent in the bill. Ugh, do you all have any better suggestions?
*Please, if you live anywhere near Richmond, Virginia, get your hiney to Pasta Luna. Best Italian ever!
