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Best. Birthday. Ever.

Robin BD SF Cake 011a

My birthday was yesterday and it was a big one.  Milestone birthdays can be difficult, especially ones that start to sound “old.”  Usually Jon and I just celebrate our birthdays by taking each other out for a nice dinner and maybe a day-trip to somewhere in the area.  On a previous birthday, we drove to Cyrus McCormick’s farm (you remember learning about him in grade school, right?). For Jon’s birthday last year, I took him to Paris — Virginia, that is.

This year, my birthday was the best ever:  Jon threw me a surprise party over the weekend!  I seriously can’t believe he pulled it off right under my nose — I must be getting old! Somehow, he managed to convince a dozen of my favorite people to journey out to rural Virginia.  At first he told me that two of our friends were visiting this weekend, then the day before the party he said there “may” be a few “extra” people for dinner.

Late Saturday afternoon, our house began to fill with friends (some of whom I haven’t seen in years).  It was fabulous.  I’ve never been so surprised, or touched, in my life.  Jon even managed to coordinate the menu — he ordered a coconut cake (my favorite) from Sticky Fingers (shown above) and one of our DC friends picked it up on her way to the party.  Several people offered to bring food, so there was lots of delicious goodies to enjoy, from homemade vegan sushi, to a gorgeous bowl of fresh fruit with mint.

Unknowingly, I had made the main dish for my own party!  On Friday Jon told me to “make extra” for our Saturday dinner guests.  Clever boy!  I also ended up making a “second” birthday cake — actually it was a tester cake for an upcoming book project, and I had planned to serve it as dessert (not knowing there was a Sticky Fingers cake in my future!).  So guests had a choice of coconut or chocolate cake — most of us chose to have a slice of both! (We washed it down with a birthday toast of Dom Perignon — a gift from a special friend.)

Robin BD Choc Cake Slice 044a

A great time was had by all: fabulous company, great food, gorgeous weather, and Margaret, the original party animal, was in the midst of it all.  (The other cats were hiding!)

Robin BD Margaret 021a

As an interesting side note: I guess it’s no secret I’m a “food person” — here are some of the fabulous food-related gifts I received this year:

Robin BD Gifts 047a

Thanks to everyone who came to my party (you know who you are!) and thanks also to everyone who send me special birthday messages, cards, e-mails, and Facebook greetings.  Your good wishes, love, and friendship mean the world to me!

 

 

{ 17 comments… add one }

  • stephanie June 27, 2013, 10:22 am

    get out of town, could Margaret be any cuter?! Happy (Belated) Birthday!!

    • Robin July 15, 2013, 2:11 pm

      Thanks Stephanie. I don’t think I could handle it if Margaret were any cuter! 🙂

  • Birgit June 27, 2013, 10:58 am

    Thank you for sharing your birthday with us! A gold star for Jon!

    • Robin July 15, 2013, 2:11 pm

      Thanks, Birgit. Jon definitely gets a gold star for this one!

  • eValerie June 27, 2013, 1:00 pm

    Happy Birthday!!! I’m glad it was a good one!!!!!

    • Robin July 15, 2013, 2:12 pm

      Thank you Valerie. Yes, it was quite a nice birthday!

  • Vegyogini June 27, 2013, 1:50 pm

    Happy birthday, Robin! What a fantastic celebration.

    • Robin July 15, 2013, 2:12 pm

      Thank you! It really was fantastic!

  • Jess June 27, 2013, 1:53 pm

    That is awesome, Robin! So glad you had a wonderful birthday!

  • Anne Regen June 28, 2013, 4:48 pm

    Happy belated birthday, Robin ! I owe you some book reviews as a belated gift !!

    • Robin July 15, 2013, 2:08 pm

      Thanks, Anne. Book reviews would be a most welcome gift, anytime. Thank you.

  • Susan June 29, 2013, 3:53 am

    Sounds like an amazing party! Glad you had such a wonderful day. 🙂

    • Robin July 15, 2013, 2:09 pm

      Thank you Susan. Gary and I wish you could have joined us! 🙂

  • KathyD June 29, 2013, 4:24 pm

    Happy birthday to you! I don’t know you personally, but I thank you for all of the information, recipes, photos and stories that you share with us via your cookbooks, blog and magazine articles year ’round.

  • SallyT June 30, 2013, 7:53 pm

    Happy birthday to you! Sounds like it was a great one.

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