hello! please excuse me for not posting last night. after surviving my whole birthday on only 2.5 hours of sleep, i basically hit the wall upon returning home from my celebration and called it a night.
you know i can’t stay away for too long. SO i decided lunch break blogging would be a fun, different experience. it will also mess things up in the whole flowage of things, but i have a feeling it will all work itself out in the end.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BIRTHDAY WISHES!
you guys are great. i was stoked on all the comments, emails, FB messages, etc etc etc that i received all day. ‘twas more than this girl could ever ask for.
also~ thanks for the plethora of camera tips! i have already learned so much and can’t wait to learn more and more about photography :)
yesterday was my 27th birthday. here is what i did.
like i mentioned up there, i only got 2.5 hours of sleep monday night. i popped dragged myself out of bed at 5:30 AM so i could make it to my 7 AM meeting on time. since monday was a holiday, my regular monday morning meeting was moved to tuesday, which~consequently~forced me to go to work at 7 AM on my birthday.
it also forced me to stop for coffee even though i knew i would be getting coffee shortly at the weekly. sales meeting breakfast.
sometimes ya gotta.
i knew that i was going to be going to lunch AND dinner for my birthday, so i skipped the ever-so-filling bowl of oatmeal that i typically get at the monday tuesday morning sales meeting.
instead, i went with quicker digesting carbs~ dry wheat toast & a small side of fruit. plus a side of eggbeaters.
not gonna lie.. i loved busting out my giant camera at the original pancake house! my co-workers made fun of me but i really don’t care. no shame in my food bloggin’ game!
the waitress who waits on us every week is adorable and sweet and she brought a couple nutella filled crepes to the table in honor of my birthday!
i did have a nibble of the end and a couple strawberries, but chocolatey filled crepes are just too much for me.
truth be told, not a lot of work happened between breakfast and lunch. i did get all the vital work tasks completed but took a little break when momma b brought me 27 balloons!
my mom gets us balloons every year and matches the number of balloons to the number of years old we are turning. geesh.. 27 balloons?! i could fly away!
a little after noon we headed to lunch. my boss takes me to lunch for my birthday every year and i picked the tin angel cafe because i LOVE their food. you may remember when i went there for dinner awhile back in december and also when i first tasted their food at the taste of the nation event last august.
love.
we sat on the enclosed patio which was decorated with unique items to give the area a lot of character.
i went with the ham & cheese croissant panini:
they were out of croissants so i got it grilled on the ciabatta bread that they use for their paninis. this was a great choice!
“Black Forest Ham, Fontina Cheese, Dijon Mustard and Garlic Aioli on Croissant Ciabatta”
it came with a side salad and i chose balsamic vinaigrette for my dressing.
i was happy that one of my bestie’s, j5, joined us for lunch. she wasn’t able to make it to my birthday dinner and she also used to work for my company, so her joining us for lunch just made sense!
do i look older?
we were too full for dessert but i did enjoy one of their signature miniature almond biscotti cookies that come with the bill.
it was back to the office for a some more work. little did i know, my co-worker, crystal, had gotten me a cake AND called marshall to find out my favorite ice cream! (dreyers 1/2 the fat vanilla bean, for those of you who are wondering. it is the best.) she is so awesome.
cut the cake!
of course i had to have a little bit ;)
i don’t like frosting so i cut around it and just had some chocolate cake with a scoop of crack ice cream!
i did a few odds and ends at my desk and then this guy popped his head (quite literally, he always peeks his head into my doorway) into my office:
an edible arrangement!
awhile back, i told marshall to never spend his money on flowers for me.. and instead, buy me an edible arrangement! it looks just as beautiful as flowers PLUS you can eat it. um, hello? no contest.
edible arrangements > flowers.
even though i was super full from lunch, i managed to devour a few “flowers” :)
after work i raced to the hair salon for a bang trim. had to get those bad boys in check, the engagement photos are today! eep!
i know that you should do whatever you want on your birthday, and what i really wanted to do was go to the gym. i am glad that i wanted to work out. in years past, i would never want to go to the gym on my birthday. i would have also been drunk by 5 PM, more than likely ;) oh, how times change.
i decided to do a make-up-as-you-go lower body 3 x 3 circuit. when i say 3 x 3 i mean i made up three circuits and did each of them three times through before moving onto the next!
here are the deets:
5 minute treadmill warmup
circuit one (three times through):
| move | weight | reps |
| bulgarian split squat | 12# each hand | 12 each leg |
| laying hip raise | 10# on hips | 20 |
| alternating bench step up | 12# each hand | 12 each leg |
| bench tuck crunch | body weight | 20 |
circuit two (three times through):
| move | weight | reps |
| barbell stiff legged deadlift | 40# | 12 |
| laying leg raise | body weight | 12 each side |
| donkey kicks | body weight | 12 each leg |
| alternating barbell forward lunge | 40# | 12 each leg |
circuit three (three times through):
| move | weight | reps |
| weighted ball crunch | 10# | 50 |
| ball back extension | 10# | 20 |
| plank | body weight | 60 seconds |
| stability ball hamstring curls | body weight | 20 |
stretching
total time: 50 minutes, didn’t wear my HR monitor so i don’t know the stats!
i went home and marshall was waiting there, bearing gifts!
so exciting :)
he is a babe. he got me this awesome owl duffle bag:
(please excuse my messsssy room and my mess of a self, just got home from the gym!)
i have a minor obsession with owls. this is SO cute.. it has a polka dot interior.
inside the bag was something giant and black. i was perplexed!
clearly, randy was concerned.
i soon realized it was the cover to a grill!
TADA! marshall bought me a grill! it would have been silly to haul it all the way to my house where i live, so he just wrapped up the cover. clever boy. i can’t WAIT to move into our house and start using it!
he also got me a fun dice game:
and the kiddos got me some pumas:
they are purple and yellow! those are the wedding colors :)
thanks kids!
after the gift giving and receiving, we headed out to dinner.
i made a reservation at oasis cafe which was a new-to-me restaurant but i’d heard great things about it.
super cute restaurant that is located inside of a book store!
i was thrilled to see so many of my friends :)
kristen-rory-nick-dave
nate-michelle-brandon-lindsay
katie-jaime-jessica-simon
allie-her invisible date-pete-amber
yay :)
we got the pita tasting plate as an appetizer:
“Fresh made hummus and olive artichoke heart
tapenade, served with grilled pita bread and a cucumber tomato salad.”
the hummus was delicious! i am a hummus connoisseur and i must say that the best hummus in salt lake city is still the one from aristo’s. this was still good.
kristen & rory got a good looking cheese and fruit plate, definitely photo-worthy:
“Cheese and Fruit Gallery: Cheese samplings from around the world, fresh honeycomb, berries, seasonal fruit, and assorted crackers.”
they also brought bread + oil + vinegar to the table.
after we ordered i decided to open some gifts!
amber got me a romper. i am not too sure how i feel about rompers but i am willing to give it a shot.
kristen knows me too well and got me some of my favorite foodie items! i was out of PB2 so that was definitely the highlight.
kristen & rory also gave me an awesome purple frame that i plan to use on the guest book table at the wedding. unfortunately the photos of it turned out all blurryyy. and so did the photos of a super cute purple dress jessica got me. but a big thanks to everyone!
our main course came and i was puzzled by my dish. i wasn’t sure it was what i expected!
“Rosemary Garlic Roasted Chicken Slow roasted, organic free-range chicken breast served over a wild mushroom filled tart with seasoned
mashed potatoes, topped with watercress cashew sauce.”
i swapped the potatoes for asparagus. but have you ever seen such a silly stack of food? i couldn’t help but giggle.
the “paper” it was wrapped up in was edible, but flavorless. basically an edible bowl to hold all the amazing ingredients. the chicken was moist and flavorful and the asparagus hiding at the bottom was probably my favorite part, so i am glad i made the substitution.
marshall got the lasagna:
“Oasis Vegetable Lasagna Baked pasta layered with roasted vegetables, tomato béchamel sauce, ricotta, asiago, and cheddar cheeses.
Dressed with bell pepper puree duet.”
unfortunately he didn’t love it because there were a ton of mushrooms in there! and he hates fungus.
i think everyone else really enjoyed their meals! and they have a ton of vegan options, so that is nice for my vegan buddies.
photo op:
all in all it was a great meal with great friends! thanks to everyone for coming :)
after the dinner we went back to kristen & rory’s house for ice creeeeam cake!
marshall knows the way to my heart. ice cream. the cake is just a formality. the ice cream is what gets me. this was a raspberry cheesecake ice cream cake.
make a wish!
27 isn’t so bad.
the perfect ending to a perfect birthday :)
yum.
just a note.. i ate out THREE times yesterday. and ate cake and ice cream twice. while it was all delicious and fun, i kinda feel like a slug today. i would much rather space my eating out adventures farther apart and keep to indulging in dessert twice a week, not twice a day. but i guess the birthday is only once a year? however.. i just don’t like eating out so much. i feel like a puffy, sodium filled salt lick today =P
so that’s that! since i am on a speed-posting time frame right now i better not ramble, this took long enough to put together. i will be back tomorrow with something.. not sure what.. this whole monday off/birthday tuesday has thrown my blog posting schedule through a loop! but i can assure you that guest post thursday is canceled due to the short week AND the fact that i don’t have a post. so you can come back tomorrow to read my rambles about something! actually i have a lot going on so i am sure i won’t have a hard time finding something to talk about ;)
Qs~
1. when eating out, is there something on the menu you ALWAYS order, in search of finding the best? in other words, are you a connoisseur of anything? my answer is hummus. if there is hummus on the menu i must try it. more often than not it is amazing.. but word of warning: do NOT get the hummus at fiddler’s elbow! yuck. i used to be a philly cheesesteak connoisseur but i’ve since changed my eating habits and so that obsession is out. hummus is in.
2. would you rather receive: a) flowers b) chocolates c) balloons d) an edible arrangement. my answer is obvious.
xo. janetha b.
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Your birthday looks like such a blast, girl! So glad it was a great day. :) I love edible arrangements!
Great post – love how you got 27 balloons! That edible arrangement looks great as well! I would rather receive…chocolate. :)
what a fun special day! and great pressies…..i would prefer chocolate i think…..happy belated! glad you had so much fun!
So glad you had such an awesome day!!!!! Muchos deserved…it’s going to be an amazing year. I love that your mom brought all the balloons and Marshall came to your work! And YAY for dinners with friends!!!! I stared at that chicken thing for about 10 minutes…haha. The pictures are coming out amazingly, by the way!
1. when eating out, is there something on the menu you ALWAYS order, in search of finding the best? in other words, are you a connoisseur of anything? oh, I could write reviews about chicken salad sandwiches in New York. Now grilled chicken is my thing. Hmm. I miss my chicken salad days.
2. would you rather receive: a) flowers b) chocolates c) balloons d) an edible arrangement Edible arrangement. Of course! Edible flowers? can it get any better than that?
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, DEAR JANETHA!! :)
1.) roasted vegetables with LOADS of garlic
2.) red roses
I love the 27 balloons idea. Might have to do that for the hubs’ b-day, he’s turning 28 this year. He got me an edible arrangement last year for Valentine’s Day – I loved it, our cats always attack any flowers he gets me. They dump the vase over, make a mess, eat the flowers and then proceed to puke all over the carpet for 3 days. Flowers are not allowed in my house!
Mmm, cake. I’m all about the cake and ditch the frosting every time. Ice cream is good too but just a plate of cake? Yes, please.
Glad to see you had a successful birthday!! You got some pretty sweet gifts. LOVE the kicks from the kiddos! I also feel very full of sodium when I eat out too much. We have very few healthy restaurants here in Omaha it seems. At least I am not familiar with very many! I just try to pick what seems the lightest and healthiest. I would most definitely choose an edible arrangement. My bf was just telling me that he would get me one of those b/c I LOVE fruit!! Marshall is so sweet, you are very spoiled! Happy Birthday again!
Where in the world did he get that owl bag? I have a friend that would love it.
what a fantastic birthday!!! :)
awwwwwwwwwwww- what a great day! Everyone treated you so well (as they should!!). Love that your mom gets your balloons every day- too cute. And the gifts you received are all awesome. Love love the bag. I always look for parfaits when we go to brunch:) and I am obsessed with edible arrangements. Hope you’re getting some rest time in today ;)
I love that the pancake house has blackberries and blueberries in the fruit. I alwasy feel like the fruit I get at restaurants is crappy–like honeydew. Boring.
I love the skull angel in the restaurant! too cool!
love the colors of the pumas. fun!
I would want an edible arrangement and flowers! Something about flowers just makes me smiles–no boring roses though please.
I love to order guac and tortilla chips whenever I go out! So freaking delicious! hahah
Don’t feel bad about dessert twice in one day! It’s your birthday- it only happens once a year!
Happy to hear you had such a great day! xo
Happy birthday! (belated) you got such nice and thoughtful presents! I actually like the romper style, hope you enjoy yours!
I always look for sweet potato fries. Mmmm.
Edible arrangement wins for sure!
Looks like a WONDERFUL birthday! You hit the jackpot!
Caprese salads and grilled cheese sandwiches are amongst my top orders.
An edible arrangement would be fun because I’ve never gotten one, but overall I’d have to say chocolate!
What a fun filled day! I would be wiped!! I love getting sunflowers on my birthday. My husband gets them each year for me along with a case of Kombucha’s, haha!
Looks like such a fun day – so glad you enjoyed it!!! And ice cream cake is THE BEST. I got my mom an edible arrangement for mother’s day and I’m jealous I wasn’t home to enjoy some of it! I try and branch out at restaurants, but if there’s a BBQ chicken salad on the menu – chances are I go for it! Or turkey burgers. I’d probably rather get an edible arrangement as well. Flowers sure are pretty though! :-) But you can buy those so cheap at Costco!
1. I am a rabbit lover. If it is on the menu I will order it. It all started when I was 7 and my family didn’t think that I would be able to eat Thumper…fast forward 20 years and I’m still eating Thumper every chance I get.
2. I would prefer an edible arrangement as long as it consisted of berries…I’m not a melon girl.
Happy Birthday!!!
I am forever in search of the perfect steak. I’ve only had it once–at Craftsteak in Vegas. AMAZING!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It looks like you had a great (and very yummy) day!
Wow what a super fun day( minus the lack o’ sleep of course). Tin Angel looks adorable but being out of croissants is blasphemy in my book. But it still looks terrific :)
And can I please have your camera, ice cream cake and a single man with Marshalls gift giving abilities? Homeboy has that part down pat!
I don’t have a specific item o order however whenever I go out to eat I always order something I can’t make at home b.c for me what’s the pt if I can make it? And edible arrangements all the way!
Happy Belated Birthday!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you had a fab day, it looks like ya did! x x
that’s the kind of bday i want. just going out to dinner and stuff with friends. i honestly don’t like parties. too much “focused attention.”
despite feeling bloated and stuff, i hope you had a lot of fun. sure looks like it!! plus all the food looks amazing. happy bday again!! hope the pics go well today.
ps. your mom’s balloon tradition is too cute. i might have to start doing that if i ever have kids.
i ALWAYS order ceviche wherever i go. i can’t say what is the best because i think the ones i get in MEXICO are the best. haha. they are all made so differently though, they are ALL good to me!
i agree on the flowers, sweet, yes. but they die in a few days. edible arrangements? yes please! i had some chocolate covered strawberries sent to me for vday once. solid solid gift!
All I even want for any holiday or event is an edible arrangement, but no one buys me one :(
I’ll keep asking though…
Your bday day looks like it was a ton of fun! Awesome gifts, great company, and yummy food.
Your pictures with the new camera look great already. You’re a natural.
What a lucky girl you are with all that treatin’! Presents and cakes galore!! That lunch place you went to looked super cute!
If I’m at a “nice” restaurant (read: fancy) and steak is on the menu, then steak is what I’m getting!
I have to say that I love flowers! If they are good ones. I don’t get them very often but I think they’re beautiful and that’s my pick. So there. If said flower-giver were to also give me chocolate, there would be no complaints on my end. Just saying.
What a fun birthday! Looks like you had a fabulous time, despite not feeling the greatest after it all… I never do either, but it’s so worth it 1 day a year!!
I look for hummus as well! And anything with goat cheese. I loooove goat cheese :D
EDIBLE ARRANGEMENT! Hands down. I love them. Nick and I both got them for our moms on mothers day, everyone loves a basket full of fruit :D
xo
K
I loved your birthday recap!!! I was waiting to see it!! Im so glad you had a wonderful birthday!! I love the gifts Marshall got you!!!!!!!!!!! The shoes are awesome! U need to wear those after the wedding on the dancefloor!!
Love the edible arrangement!!!!!!!!!! Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love both cakes! I like the one marshall got you best!!
Such a sweet group of friends you have as well!!! Lloks like the best birthday dinner ever!!
Have agreat night girl!!!!
I just want to say first, happy (belated) birthday!! I sat and read your blog fr quite some time the other day to get caught up to speed. I don’t know how you have all the time to write so much but it’s more appreciated than you know!
Q&A’s:
1. I just realized I don’t look for anything in particlar on a menu, maybe I just go to the same places too often. That Chapalas place I go to..I don’t even have to order!
2. Um, I think I would have to go with chocolate..you have to know me well enough to know which kind I like though. Balloons would be an absolute NO for me, anyone who knows me knows I hate balloons, always have always will…same goes for fireworks.. :(
I’ve always wanted an edible arrangement. I send them often as gifts, but I’ve never actually received one. I’m pretty sure I’d eat it in one sitting though!
omg what a fun day!!!! i love birthdays and always make sure to make the birthday girl or boy VERY known if we are out in public!! I love your gifts from marshall, that is SO awesome he got you a grill!! AMAZING! i was in urban outfittters yesterday and saw the perfect gift for you! i may have to get it for you and send it and have it be a very belated birthday present! :) soo I can’t tell you what it is!
I do love flowers…every now and then, but i will never be one of those women who NEEDS flowers…they are pretty tghough…however an edible arrangement is MUCH more practical and you can eat it!!!
at restaurants I ALWAYS get a salad (if it is dinner) I love the combinations of flavors that some restauratns have…so as an app I always order SOME kind of salad! recently I had one with dried cranberries, orange segments, candied pecans OMG it was to DIE for!
on my bday, I went to the gym toO! its what I WANTED to do!!! and usually always have a great workout on my bday :)
LOVE YOU GIRL!!
Oh it looks like you had a fantastic 27th bday!!!! I think it’d be fun to get an edible arrangement just to say I got one. Otherwise, flowers would make me happy.
Looks like you had a great day. I’d say Marshall is a keeper. You made out like a bandit. It’s so much fun hearing about what’s going on in your life. I feel like it keeps me closer to your family in a weird sort of way. Your enthusiasm to stick to your work outs and healthy eating continue to inspire me. Thanks so much!
What an awesome birthday. You are such a trooper, Janetha B. And have the best friends and fam EVER.
The edible arrangements bouque?! Love it! Marshall’s such a sweet heart :)
Happy late birthday Janetha! :)
Your mom seems so awesome. 27 balloons? How fun! I love having flowers or balloons at work. But an edible arrangement? I’ve never been graced with such a treat! Jealous.
The ice cream cake is an awesome choice. I’m not a huge cake fan but ice cream….I LOVE!
What a fabulous birthday!! You had a great one!!! Whenever, I eat out my husband and I ALWAYS order the seared Ahi tuna appetizer if it is on the menu. We are tuna snobs!! haha! For my birthday I would most like to get flowers. I love flowers!!! And my husband never disappoints…haha…good trained man! :)
Oh lady hummus is what I was gunna say! Haven’t had a bad batch yet (fingers crossed).
I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to know that you had such a perfect birthday!! You deserved every ounce of it!! :) How sweet is Marshall to you!! Omg, such a good guy!!
Can you please start collecting all of the icing you don’t want and then send it to me? I will pay you for shipping, thanks! ;)
What a great birthday! I love that you mom gets you balloons for your bday and gets the amount of your age…that is such a cute idea.
Your friends look like the kind of people I would love to hang out with!
BTW you look beautiful in all of your pictures!
Holy goodness, this day is incredible! From start to finish, it really just seemed like the perfect day. I love all the balloons from your mama and how sweet of your coworkers to bake you a cake. And…Marshall is the best fiance ever!!!! Edible arrangements, a grill, games, and pumas….do you think there is anyone else on this earth that knows you more?!?!
LoL, Okay, so I definitely bought those PB&J Almonds and when I opened them, I was mad at myself because I was thinking, “I really should have sent these to Janetha for her b-day! She would have loved them.” Now I am so happy that someone else was thinking the same. Don’t worry, you should be getting just a little something from me soon though! ;)
Take care darling and don’t feel bad at all for overdoing it. I’d say you did it just right! :)
Happy belated birthday!! What a fun and delicious day!
wow what a birthday! glad you had a good one! :D
seriously the picture of marshmellow with the edible arrangement made me smile from ear to ear haha in my book that’s the most romantic thing EVER. besides a grill obvi. ;)
glad you had such a fun birthday!!!! i heard yesterday that eating cake twice and out three times is the new rule for turning 27.
Looks like a great birthday. I’m not sure if I could pull off a romper! I’m curious to see if you wear it.
I seek out hummus too. Seriously. My facebook page even says, “I judge restaurants by their hummus.”
Happy belated Birthday!!! It looked like a great day! I love getting flowers-even if they die eventually, they’re still wonderful while they last!
Looks like a fun bday!!
Looks like a LOT of fun! I think it’s worth all that ice cream and cake – it is your birthday, after all! As long as you get back on track, it’s alright. :) I hope you had a great time! :D
Wei-Wei
Hehe, you and my mom have the same birthday, and it looks like you both received the same Edible Arrangement!
I, too, must always try the hummus on the menu. Also, I’ve been known to sample several smoothies in my years.
Oh what a lovely day. For a lovely lady. Happy Birthday honey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that edible arrantment is amazing! i definitely want one of these one day! haha! It looks like you had such fun! My bf thinks im crazy when i take pics of food when we go out but oh well! lol! x
Happy Birthday! I love love love the duffle bag! Perfect for smuggling beer into the movie theater!
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