birthday!

Yesterday I turned 23 and thus began my 24th trip around the sun! I woke up to a lovely, warm spring day and had a nice afternoon seeing a few friends and treating myself to a birthday manicure/pedicure. Before dinner I went to a friend's flat to pop the champagne my family so thoughtfully had delivered for my birthday (along with a cake and a beautiful bouquet of tulips!), and then headed to a nearby restaurant to have a birthday dinner with 10 of my close friends!

The restaurant, called Holyrood 9A, has a variety of delicious gourmet burgers, with plenty of vegetarian options, and an extensive beer menu including my favorite American summery beer Blue Moon. It was a really nice meal and great company; everyone has been working hard on essays so it was great to get the whole group together for a dinner out amidst the chaos of the end of term. It also meant that much more to me that all my close friends could make it, since I know taking a night off is hard so close to deadlines. To top it off, my friend made me my favorite cake for dessert - it is called Pavlova, and has a soft meringue base and border filled with a delicious whipped cream with white chocolate and covered in fresh strawberries and raspberries.

After dinner I went out to a local pub for a pint but then was overcome with exhaustion from my busy day and called it a relatively early night. I got some lovely gifts from my friends here - including an adorable beach-type bag from Bermuda! - and got so many sweet messages from friends and family back home. Thank you to all of you that sent me your birthday wishes, it was a great birthday and 23 feels just fine so far!