my new favorite birthday present

Thanks to my sweet, thoughtful husband, I spent my 25th birthday at the Conrad Hotel!  We left right after work on Friday and drove downtown (where we used to live).  We spent the afternoon swimming, went out for a fancy dinner, and got Patachou for breakfast in bed.  While I thought I would miss opening presents, I was definitely loving every minute of my birthday surprise (and would highly recommend it for those of you who always try and fail to figure out what your significant other wants for a birthday).

While we were only 15 minutes away from our place, we both were so relaxed that it felt like we were coming back from a week's vacation (without all the travel exhaustion).  This may become a new tradition...

{the sneaky planner and I}

{outfitted for the fancy dinner}

On a side note, I've not been posting much, but that's about to change....I've got loads of house things I need your opinions on: lighting, painting, and some smaller projects.  I love reading all your comments and suggestions!  It was lovely to have a break -- but I've missed my little blog.