Another year has gone by and I have reached the ripe old age of 24. Although, in my mild immaturity, 24 years seems like a lifetime (after all, it is my lifetime!), I know that the best is indeed yet to come. This birthday, which I thought would be rather anti-climactic, has turned out to be quite the celebration and several days of joy, laughter, and fun with precious friends. Birthdays are a unique time to make a friend feel cherished, special, and valued and my friends in Edinburgh have gone far above and beyond what was necessary to make me feel that way and more.
Friday, April 16th, the Canadian next door (BB) that I’ve mentioned so many times before throughout this blog, organized a big dinner at The Bon Vivant on Thistle Street in New Town. The dinner was a surprise and many of our close friends came to celebrate. The menu was right up my alley – especially the seared pigeon breast (considering everyone knows I feel like searing all of the pigeons outside of my room every morning at Churchill House). The espresso complimented with a shot of Kahlua was a perfect balance of earthy, bold, and rich (most of you know my minor obsession with good coffee!) and the sticky toffee pudding melted in your mouth as a delicious mixture of spice, gooey toffee, and cool icing, satisfying the way a good dessert should.
The rest of the weekend was littered with all of my favorite things and surprises, such as Jess’ incredible brownie-cake with fudge icing and white chocolate chunks and Mini Beck’s famous pink and yellow-icing cupcakes.
Monday, my actually birthday, however, was the day of days. It began with a late morning visit from Britt and Jared, hands overflowing with gifts, flowers, and candy. My darling Craig had sent two dozen yellow tulips, several pounds of pick-n-mix candy, and the blue zip Edinburgh hoodie I had been eyeing. Jared and Britt bought me a beautiful print from a local artist in Edinburgh and an (‘easy’) chicken cookbook (I love chicken more than anyone else in the world, bar perhaps Rebecca Jansch.) I was then whisked away to a surprise brunch with more close friends at a tea room on Hanover Street. Lunch lasted all afternoon, followed by some shopping with Laura and Mini Becks. There were even more surprises to follow later in the evening, with Laura posting about 15 hand-cut-out sheep (I love sheep) on my door with a main sheep bleeting ‘Why I love ewe’ and a massive tray of homemade cupcakes, topped with marzipan icing (my favorite!)
Being made such a fuss over was completely unnecessary, but made this birthday the most special one to date. Perhaps they always get better as time goes on, but this is one I will certainly not forget. It is these times, in my opinion, with dear friends and family that remind us how loved we are, that life is at its best--and knowing that so many more of these kinds of memories lie ahead, I can say with much assurance that the best indeed is yet to come.
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