Not a Day Over 29!

It's a wonderful day to be 29! I took the day off work (my gift to myself), and started off with a bang by sleeping until 10:30. I only got up because I knew I had to leave at 11:30 to meet Jessie for lunch, but I made up for it later...

I took Clara outside and we were greeted with absolutely gorgeous weather. It was so nice that I didn't even have to wear a coat for the first time all year. Clara was a very happy girl.

Jessie and I went to lunch at a yummy little sushi place in Evanston called Dozika, where I got this cool Asian soda that is really supposed to be for kids (but who are we kidding?). It has a marble that is lodged in the blue part at the top, and you use that little green piece to push the marble down in order to open the soda. The marble then rolls around in the middle of the bottle, which I'm sure has thoroughly frustrated many a child who has wanted to get it out to play with it.

Next, we ventured across the street to the pet store where you can play with the puppies for sale (one of my all-time favorite activities). The blonde puppy was extremely naughty and kept trying to eat Jessie's sweater, but we had a great time seeing their sweet little faces and holding them up for pictures.

We each happened to pick the puppy that matched our outfit to pose with. Jessie ended up with the naughty sweater-eating puppy. ;)

I had the sweet little chocolate lab puppy who was in the middle of doing his best Superman impression when this photo was snapped.

I came home and proceeded to take a four hour nap in the middle of the afternoon. Tara gave me a card that says "If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you've learned how to live." That card was meant to be mine. I SO know how to live.

I capped off the day by going out to dinner with friends at Cafe Iberico, a Spanish tapas place downtown. The food was great, and the company was better. Thanks so much to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday this year, whether by going out with me, calling, sending a card, or messaging me on Facebook. I love you all and I can't wait to see what this next year has in store. Happy birthday to me! :)