Well, happy birthday to me.

I want to thank everyone for their birthday wishes. I had a great birthday this year, and I felt very loved what with all of the phone calls, e-mails, and texts, some very thoughtful blog posts from my mom and Hannah and Katie and Hester, and Facebook wall posts too. I got cards in the mail, and gifts, and lots of in-person "Happy Birthday"s because my birthday was on Sunday so I was at church. Plus a friend advised me to announce during the Good News Minute in Relief Society that it was my birthday, in her words "because then everyone will say Happy Birthday and no one will feel bad about forgetting!"

It's so true. I always feel awful when I talk to people on their actual birthday but then realize later that I had completely forgotten that. Except that I always feel a little bit awkward on my own birthday and then I felt like a huge dork after announcing it! Somehow I thought I would feel less dorky because my friend sitting next to me also had a birthday that day and so I announced hers too. But no, still dorky. Oh well! Story of my life!

My best gift came from Matt. He made the most delicious dinner that I have had in a long time, and he didn't even walk out on me when I asked in shock and a complete lack of shame, "It's not ready yet? I'm starving!" All week he kept asking what I wanted and since I didn't know, I gave guidelines. Something summery, not too heavy but not too light, not a lot of meat, plenty of veggies. Then I proceeded to shoot down everything he suggested, but of course with the addendum, "Just make whatever you want!"

I like to think that I got this habit from him, because every year in the days leading up to his birthday I ask him what he wants for dinner, until finally a few years ago I realized that he doesn't want me to ask him, he just wants me to do it.

I really wish I had taken a picture because the table was so colorful and appetizing. The menu:

• Veggie and pork kabobs with an orange glaze - onions, peppers, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, sweet potatoes
• Homemade baked beans - so tasty. I am obsessed with beans.
• Yummy salad from Jessica - spinach, strawberries, feta, candied almonds and a balsamic vinaigrette
• Artfully arranged fruit tray - strawberries, grapes, mango, kiwi, cantaloupe
• Delicious bread - which I want to post about soon. I am finally convinced that I can in fact make bread, because this recipe is so easy and good. It doesn't even take kneading, but it's not too dense, and you can mix the dough with a spoon. Intrigued yet?
• Rocky road ice cream for dessert. I have pretty much abandoned all other flavors of ice cream, because I have found perfection in that of rocky road, Edy's/Dreyer's, to be more precise, although I recently found another brand at Shopper's that I really like too...Stone Ridge Creamery, I think? And BYU Creamery is my all-time favorite. In a good rocky road, the heartiness of plentiful almonds and the occasional chew of a whole marshmallow make it an ideal mix of textures and tastes. It is delicious to me!

Okay so enough about the rocky road already. Thanks to everyone for a great birthday, but most especially to my husband, who I know is the only man on earth who could stand living with me. It's true. I love him eternally.