birthday

The Seven Things I’ve Done Since July

/ foodsweatandbeers / Leave a comment

Oops. I took an unintentional, unplanned blogging hiatus. But I promise, it’s been for good stuff. Like actually writing for another blog or two. And a bunch of other stuff. BUT instead of just laying out for you, I figured I’d go with a little assist from the artist formerly known as adorable, Miss Miley Cyrus. (Aside: I can’t stop writing Yelp reviews to songs. Blame Yelp.)

Is this Miley enough?

Is this Miley enough?

Please, if you’re able, read along to the tune of Miley’s 7 Things I Hate About You. If you’re not, just listen to the linked song about 24 times. And then read…

The Seven Things I’ve Done Since July

Sha, sha, sha

I probably shouldn’t say this
But sometimes life escapes me
And I totally forget about
The blogger I wanna be
Life’s for living, I’m forgiving
Of the fact I haven’t written for a while….
But it’s “fall” now and it’s time to
Nose to grindstone, she’s back at it
In Jordan styleeeeeee

Hold onto your butts. this is gonna get weird.

Hold onto your butts. this is gonna get weird.

The seven things I’ve done since JULY!
The seven things I’ve done since JULY!

The Gang en Blanc

The Gang en Blanc

Oh, my….
Dîner en Blanc, turned twenty eight
Moved apartments, that was great
Took a trip to San Fran, I… chugged four beers while running a MILE.

FAM IN SAN FRAN!

FAM IN SAN FRAN!

Spent weekends at the beach, hit up a Festival called The Peach
I wanna share, everything I doooooo.
And thanks to the blog, y’all know how it’s gonna go.
I’m gonna tell YOU.

I spent most of this August
Prepping for a big night
4,500 people, they were all dressed in white.
Went to San Fran with my whole fam,
Ran a beer mile, forced a big smile, then

Peach Music Festival (or "maybe I'm too old for music festivals?")

Peach Music Festival (or “maybe I’m too old for music festivals?”)

Off to Peach…
Barely made it back…
And then I relaxed at the BEACHHHHH.

Running my first beer mile!

Running my first beer mile!

The seven things I’ve done since JULY!
The seven things I’ve done since JULY!
Oh, my….
Dîner en Blanc, turned twenty eight
Moved apartments, that was great
Took a trip to San Fran, I… chugged four beers while running a MILE.
Spent weekends at the beach, hit up a Festival called The Peach
I wanna share, everything I doooooo.
And thanks to the blog, y’all know how it’s gonna go.
I’m gonna tell YOU.

It’s been a busy summer
And I feel I did it all
Probably shouldn’t mention….
The stuff coming up this Fall…

The seven things I’ll do in the FALL
Some pumpkin beers, raise them up (cheers!)
Halloween: it’s almost here!

Whip out your grease makeup, folks.

Whip out your grease makeup, folks.

New restaurants, there’s lots to eat, Kayla Itsines will get me off my seat
Headed down to Chapel Hill, I’m thrilled, and I’ve gotta book a flight
I’m getting back to writing more again
Guess the seventh thing that I will do in the fall….
I’ll share with you all.

Yup. That was super ridiculous.

Glad to be back.

JPreezy Turns Two-Seezy (seezy means six. Obviously.)

/ foodsweatandbeers / 2 Comments

Paris Hilton said,

The way I see it, you should live everyday like its your birthday.

If that’s the case, how do you spend your ACTUAL birthday?!

Thanks, internet, for telling me how to spend this momentous weekend.

anigif_enhanced-buzz-31126-1377120190-4

 

Throw down like Dumbledore.

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Feel so many feelings.

tumblr_mqst7ly7G11sa24tdo1_400

Shake it like the long necks.

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And get SUPER weird, a la my one true love, Jason Segel.

26 will be full of donuts, white water rafting, tiaras, snacks, dancing, and sunshine. And that’s just the first day.

Here’s to another rotation around that sun. Thanks for sticking along for the ride, y’all.

 

The Bracket Jump Birthday

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

On Thursday night, after being in a car for approximately 18 of the previous 48 hours and sending my baby brother off to college, I found myself a little weepy. Maybe I was a bit grouchy, my emotions were running fairly high, and I was exhausted. This, as everyone knows, is an ideal time to have a quarter life crisis.

Jealous of my Ugly Cry?

Since my 18th birthday, I’ve always been one of those chicks that makes her birthday a national holiday. Whether it’s jumping out of a plane, having a “That’s So Jordan” themed party, or dragging my buddies to a food and craft beer tour-de-Raleigh, I make sure my birthday is a true celebration. But, being in a new, unfamiliar city and knowing very few folks with whom I could celebrate, I was feeling a bit lost. I also couldn’t get the “bracket jump” out of my mind. No longer was I going to fall in that “18-24” age group. Nope, I was shifting into the “25-29” bracket. It seemed symbolic of some big change, which is ridiculous and very demonstrative of how I read far too much into things. Whatever it was, I was not my typical JOYFUL JORDAN.

Then, I woke up on Friday morning (August 24th, the day of my birth 25 years ago) to my mom BLASTING 50 Cent’s iconic “In Da Club”, with the telltale lyrics:

Go, go, go, go
Go, go, go, shawty
‘Cause it’s your birthday
We gon’ party like it’s yo birthday
We gon’ sip Bacardi like it’s your birthday
And you know we don’t give a ****
It’s not your birthday!

She danced into the room, and any fears of a bland, “blah” birthday where whisked out of my mind.

We U-Hauled the last of my junk into the apartment and I was on my own for the day.  I headed to one of my favorite spots in the city, the PHS Pop-Up Garden by Rittenhouse Square.

Rainbow in the garden!

I nabbed some free chips and salsa and learned how to make Chipotle’s tomato salsa (which I’m attempting later today), and then grabbed something I’ve been dying to try for a while.

Little Baby’s Ice Cream!

Ever since being scarred for life by their (viral and terrifying) commercial (you’ve been warned), I was itching to get some of the good stuff (though preferably not scooped from someone’s skull.)

Sweet treats and reads

This chai snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich filled with coconut chai (non-dairy) ice cream was much more my style, and I toted it along to the book store for a bit of light (re)reading.

After getting through a serious chunk of the book (and demolishing the sandwich), I decided I wanted some pampering and some girl time.

Burt’s Bees and Say Yes to the Dress: Match made in Heaven.

Scandalous! (I was wearing a towel, I promise.)

I wasn’t trying to star in an off-Broadway performance of the 1997 classic, Face/Off (tempting as that sounds), just enjoying a cooling Cucumber Aloe mask. It was just what I needed before I left the pampering to someone else.

Enter: Nail Bar. Simple concept. Salon, offering manis, pedis, and complimentary bevvies!!

All I need in this life.

Thanks, random stranger, for snapping my picture!

I came out with a sparkle on my nails and some bubbly in my belly. But, other than the ice cream sandwich and some cereal earlier, I didn’t have too much else in my belly.

YELP ELITE TO THE RESCUE!

Sweet spread, right?

Yelp’s Great American Happy Hour, hosted by ING Cafe, was my very first Yelp Elite event, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

I considered the whole night a surprise party for me. The surprise, of course, was for Yelp, who didn’t know they were sponsoring my party!

There were delicious Underdogs (which, as I already mentioned, I’m a huge fan of…)

Dog bonanza!

My favorite was the My Thai (with spicy peanut sauce and green papaya slaw), and I even tried the mustardy Chicago style. Delicious, despite the fact that I am not a fan of mustard.

I got a chance to meet some new folks and, surprise surprise, there were two other birthday babes at the party.  Despite the event limiting attendance only to the Yelp Elites, it didn’t feel elitist at all, and I was so amped to get myself out there and meet new people.  For a social butterfly like me, an event like this is the ultimate adrenaline rush, so I jumped at the chance to join the after party at Devil’s Alley for a baby flight of beers.

Yummy x 4

Maggie M. and I, the birthday girls!

I rounded out the night the only way that made sense… My beau, a bottle of Epic Brewing’s Big Bad Breakfast Stout, and a pint of Butterfinger ice cream.  And was treated to this little present when I checked in on Untappd:

DOUBLE BADGED!

500 unique beers? That makes me LEGEN (wait for it…………..) DARY!

I went to sleep with a buzz, not just from the booze (though that helped), but from a night spent with new friends and the love of my life. And though it was DEFINITELY a little different from some previous birthdays (Tequila balls and feather boas, anyone?), it was a successful bracket jump. And maybe I’ll get a little silly tonight with Krissie… Who’s to say I can’t celebrate twice?

And there’s nothing in the rule book that says a 25 (or 46) year old can’t wear a tiara on her birthday…

 

 

 

Best Friends Since Birth: Ode to My Mommy

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

I have to say that I believe in love at first sight, mostly because I am CERTAIN I’ve experienced it.  I just get the feeling that, the moment I was born, and my “being born” junk was wiped from my eyes, I saw the love of my life.  She was only about 3 feet taller than I was (and I was just born, moments before), but her platinum blonde hair acted as a halo for the angel that is my mother.  And though it’s been almost 25 years since we met, I still know that my love for her will never fade. In fact, it just gets stronger, every day.

I’m “that girl” with my mom. I text her every morning and I feel lost if I don’t talk to her on the phone at least once a day.  I ask ridiculous questions like “What are you doing? Who are you with? What are you thinking about who you’re with, and where are you all going for dinner?” If I could live with my mother for the rest of my life, I think I’d be happy as a clam, and I’d force her to eat salads and come to Zumba with me and get into all sorts of hijinx.  It would basically be like Gilmore Girls, only without the inn and lots more social work.  Oh, and it’d be a lot tougher to share clothes, considering our 8-9 inch height difference.

Tiny, baby mommy.

My mother has shaped me maybe more than any other single human being on the planet. She’s been a teacher, a friend, a caregiver, a healer, a snuggle-buddy, a kindred spirit, and my number one role model.  I remember growing up feeling shy and, more often than not, uncomfortable in my own skin. I was a gangly bookworm, the tiniest Amazon nerd in Montessori School, and I tended to slouch. Mom taught me to stand up straight (though, for her, that really only meant standing about 5’4″ tall) and she taught me to walk into every room like I owned the place.  Probably because every time she walked into a room, a store, a bar, or down the street, all eyes were on her. She demands attention just by her existence. I dreamt of being just like her.

Poppin' Champangne, like she won the championship game

Mother of five, wife to one, and friend to all, she’s more generous than I could even attempt to be. Having recently received her MSW after deciding a few years ago to return to school, she’s gone out of her way to speak for those without a voice, to maintain her ethics in an oft-corrupt system, and to provide aid and assistance whenever possible with a focus on geriatrics. In the face of hopelessness, my mother is like a beacon of joy. I’d list all that she’s done for her clients, but I couldn’t even get the tip of the iceberg before a hand cramp.

She’s hilarious. One of the middle children in a family of 8 kids, she always manages to make everyone in the enormous resulting family laugh and smile, maybe me most of all.

Don't kill me for posting this, dancing queen

Being the littlest one in my family (though 5 of the 6 are her children), she often gets the brunt of the teasing. But she puts up with our jokes, rolling her eyes.  Since we love her, we pile on top of her any chance we have, so she doesn’t forget for a moment that she’s our best girl.

The tiniest face of the bunch? That's mommy.

She’s so proud of us, but I think she doesn’t realize just how proud we are of her!

Giving a speech at her graduation party

When she went back to school, she worked harder than I’ve ever seen a student work (that includes friends who are in PhD programs and med school). Every assignment was life or death, and I don’t think she ever got below an A.  Her laser-like focus on something as seemingly trivial as a reference list led to many long nights, but the payoff was sweet when she obtained her degree and the opportunity to follow her dream.

I still want to be just like her. She’s kind of my idol and if I can lead a life half as successful as hers, it will be a life well-lived.

Here’s to my best friend, my favorite beach girl…

Shore girls!

My partner in crime, even if the crime’s just making some penis-shaped cookies for Caitlin’s bachelorette party.

Though I don't think she really approved

And, no matter what happens and where life takes me, she’s the woman I wanna be like when I grow up.

More alike every day.

Happy birthday, Mommy! Can’t wait until we’re together again to celebrate!

Daddy Dearest

/ foodsweatandbeers / 9 Comments

We just found out that we have the day after Thanksgiving off for a holiday. I consider this an early Christmas gift so, in turn, as much as I am ashamed to admit it, my mind decided to make the connection to Christmas through song.

I’ve been singing (in my head) (mostly) “All I Want for Christmas” since we found out.  Please, don’t ban me from my favorite store, Nordstrom!

But honestly, this blessing may seem small to some, but when you live hundreds of miles from your immediate family members, every day is precious, especially around the holidays. And, in less than a week, I’ll be going home to my favorite people on the planet.  But there’s one in particular that I’d like to focus on today.

So Professional, yeah?

My daddio. He’s kind of absolutely a big deal in the movers and shakers of the courtroom, and I’m proud to say he’s been on the “Best of” for his profession for the past three years.  But that’s just stuff you can find out from a quick Google search. So I’ll spare you all.  I’m here to write about the man that I’ve known and loved longer than any other.

One heck of a family portrait

To the man who had five kids in 9 years, and served as a human jungle gym as we scurried and climbed all over him, trying to claim “king of the mountain” on our father.  I swear, growing up, I was certain he had extra arms, because he was always holding one of our hands or carrying another or adjusting the one that was on his back.  He’s such a pro, you’d swear he majored in “baby juggling” at school.

A perfect match

To the man that makes my mom happy every single day. The one that texts her a little love note in the morning, just about every morning. The one that searches high and low to find her the perfect present for Christmas and birthdays (even if I botch it and suggest that the “perfect present” is a dessert tray. Oops, sorry mom!)

Proud of his girl

To the guy that looks at his wife the way teenage boys look at the girl they’re taking to prom. It’s like he sees her and thinks, “WOW! How did I get so lucky?!”

I’ve never seen him prouder than the night of her Grad Party celebrating her graduation from grad school.

Tar Heel BABY!

Wait. I may have seen him prouder, and that’s when I graduated from UNC. He’s the man that supports his family without question, in any and every way possible.

His hours at the work are nothing compared to the hours he spent driving us to tournaments, cheering us from the bleachers as we swam, spiked, dribbled, blocked, and shot. He’s our number one fan, and I always worked a little harder when I heard him shout “GO JORDY!!”

Family Fun

Here’s to the guy who taught me that family comes first. The one who drives two hours to pick his mom up and bring her home when Hurricane Irene is on the horizon. The one who cares for his nieces and nephews like they’re his own, and the man who made every Christmas morning magical.  This is honoring the guy whose handwriting looks EERILY similar to Santa’s and the Toothfairy’s (a conclusion I didn’t reach for years upon years.)

Get you some, Daddy!

Here’s to the guy who everyone would describe as serious and straight laced, but the one that taught us that, when there’s a song you love, you’d better dance your face off.

Looks like it rubbed off, eh?

Bros Dads Icing Bros?

To the man who iced his son.

I’ll never forget that moment.

Here’s to the trunk of my family tree, my Dad. The one who was there when I was born, the one I look forward to one day walking down the aisle with, and the one who’s turned from a father to so much more, to one of my best friends.

Happy Birthday, Dad, and thanks for everything!!

I LOVE YOU!

How to Eat Free All Birthday Week Long

/ foodsweatandbeers / 23 Comments

Hey there friends!

True Story: I’ve been an Absent Agnes.  Sometimes, after I take weekend trips, I immediately hop in my car and drive an hour or two for work. And then I work like a worker bee and stay in a swanky hotel (which I’ll write up soon, because it was a blast.) But then it’s back to reality, the house a little roomier (minus one beau) and the laundry a little dirtier. It’s times like these when I think that the best thing I can do for myself, and for you, my readers, is to share a (not-so-)secret secret! The secret is how I ate, for free, all last week. And that secret starts with a little thing called a Swag Bag.

Swiggity Swag.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Jordan, if you paid for the Healthy Living Summit (which I recapped here and here), you technically paid for the Swag. Well, if you’re thinking that:

a) you’re a stickler

b) you might be right, but just roll with me on this one.

Snacks from this bag are MORE than enough to serve as breakfast every day for a week (if not more!) There’s coupons for cereal and yogurt, granola to sprinkle on top, Clif Bar, granola bar, nuts, you name it. So I’ll admit, for breakfast, I enjoyed swag e’rryday. Maybe that’s a cheat. I’m not mad.

For Monday lunch, I thanked my lucky stars I’d joined Moe’s eWorld! If you sign up, on your birthday, you get a totally free entree, just print up a coupon sent to your email. You also get a little treat just for signing up. But I don’t remember what that stuff is. Regardless, I picked up this taco salad fo’ free!

Delicioso!!

Romaine lettuce, chicken, black beans, tomatoes, salsa, onions, cucumber, jalapenos (GOODNESS I always forget how hot they are fresh!!) and a little cheese, just for good measure. No need for dressing, the salsa takes care of that, and the salad is crisp, fresh, and tasty! I made my order, I handed the fellow at the cash register a piece of paper, and VOILA. And they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

For dinner, I enjoyed a most-excellent Cajun grilled flounder stuffed with crab and drizzled with Pontchartrain sauce. It was served with grilled asparagus and black beans (I nixed the normal rice pilaf base).

So fancy. It's like the date you take yourself on.

How on EARTH did I get this freebie? Simple.

Rockfish Seafood Grill strikes again.

When I first signed up for their email club, I just did it to keep abreast of what was going on (since I’m there so frequently, anyway). Then I realized I got a free dessert just for receiving emails. Bread (as in croissant-bread) pudding with bourbon sauce, anyone? (yes, yes, a thousand times yes.)

Enjoyed with a Fullsteam, of course.

Full of fish, crab, and birthday joy, I slept easy.

Tuesday lunch, very appropriately, was sponsored by none other than Ruby Tuesday’s So Connected email club. Sign up, and you get a few more emails than most. But most I just delete without glancing at them. Come birthday season, though, you get a free “burger” with fries. However, the burgers include grilled chicken sandwiches, and you can get ANY of their sides instead of fries (They offer Spaghetti squash as a side!! WHO DOES THAT?!)

Also with a side of celebrity gossip!

The chicken sandwich was topped with lettuce, tomato, bacon and avocado. The bread was really thick and tasty, but I still tossed most of it away. SO FILLING!

For dinner, I decided to go off the beaten track a little and head to Chapel Hill. School had just started so, of course, I spotted about a thousand Jack Rogers sandals within moments of parking my car. Despite my rampant shoe envy of the cult of co-eds, I had my eye on one prize. A meal from the infamous “noodles” courtesy of the Noodles & Company Noodlegram!

When you sign up for this one, you can get a BOGO coupon and then, come your birthday, pop goes the freebie!

Sweet coconut curry, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, a light portion of rice noodles, served on cabbage with black sesame seeds and shrimp!

Their Bangkok Curry is bang(kok)ing. Seriously, a nice little bit of spice (not too much), light, and the shrimp was cooked to perfection (well, fast perfection). I loved the extra crunch of the sesame seeds, and this was swell with my first pumpkin beer of the year.

For lunch… technically it wasn’t free, BUT it was discounted from my favorite pizza-mobile, Klausie’s. Coming from a food truck, I’ll take it.

Oh, Klausie's, you know my heart.

I already discussed my dinner of beers, appetizers, and THE GIANT ORGASMIC BROWNIE SUNDAY from my LivingSocial birthday crawl.  What I didn’t tell you, though, is that my LivingSocial adventure was FREE because I encouraged my friends to buy through my link.  Best. Deal. Ever.

And best friends, too.

For Thursday, I’d recommend getting other people to buy you meals.  That always works, too.

Vegetable Pizza a la Brixx

Gyro platter thanks to the BEAU!!

Handsome fellows don't come free with meal

There were a number of other email freebies that I got emails for that I just didn’t manage to get to (birthdays are only so long, right?) BUT for an excellent list, check out Goob’s COMPREHENSIVE list at HeyItsFree!!

I hope that you, one day, can live the glamorous lifestyle of a birthday recession-ista (and moocherama).

 

 

 

Demand and Dinner

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

Good evening folks, I hope none of you are still as sweaty and gross as I am.  But if you are…. I salute you.

After my lunchtime post where I showed you my advanced icing techniques, my ankle actually started to feel a little better. I spent the day in a long meeting, taking care of business, and then tidied up my desk to show off for the new employee tomorrow.

This might be the most normal it has ever looked.

If you take a closer look, you’ll notice a McCormick’s Italian Herb blend, a toy dog wearing a fruit hat, and my iPhone got a text! A rare opportunity to look at my life, behind the scenes. Cherish it, y’all.

After work, with my ankle feeling up to snuff, I hit up Zumba (considering my favorite instructor was there, I had to do it.)  I’m glad I did, as I rocked it out.

Woo, baby.

I specifically remember the track where my HR reached 180 because, in the midst of panting, I glanced over at the watch and was like WHOAH! My ankle’s feeling a little sore now, but during the class I actually felt pretty decent.  It was a packed class, lots of total newbies, but everyone handled their business and rocked it out.  The energy was awesome, the music was perfect, and we even did an all-arm track to Carry Out by Justin Timberlake.  I’m sore, but in the best way possible.

Following the gym, I received word from the beau that he was going to be late for dinner, so I made the executive decision to go shopping.

In case you didn’t get the message, my 24th Birthday is Next Wednesday, August 24. That’s right, one week and one day away.  Feel free to shower me with sexy presents like beer and sports bras and Norts (Nike shorts, for the folks who aren’t familiar) and all the like.  Or packages, or tweets, or email love.  Or just buy me a cocktail and compliment the tiara I’ll be wearing on my big day and, more than likely, the night of the HLS cocktail party.  I’m needy like that.

Now that we all are on the same page for what I was shopping for, you might understand that Nordstrom Rack was at the top of my list.  Since my feet are huge (size 12-13), any store that carries my size is somewhere I frequent.  And today, I finally got lucky.

Sam Edelman, you've done good.

I’ve been looking for a pair of sandals with this single long strap.  Though these weren’t the silver I hoped for, the gems and spikes on the back…. I felt like Lady Gaga when I put them on.  And then I found my birthday dress.  Which just so happened to have little white streaks in it. The price was a little steep, and there was a gem missing, so I asked the man at the front if there was another one, or if I could get a discount.  I couldn’t get a discount, and he almost wouldn’t sell them to me….  and then he told me they were the only size 12 Sam Edelman sandals of this style AT ANY NORDSTROM RACK IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!!!!!

I left, one pair of shoes richer (and a few more bucks than I wanted to be poorer…. but they were shaved about halfway from their original pricetag…. I’ll chalk it up as a win.)

With my birthday outfit success warming my heart, and my zumba class rumbling my tummy…. I headed home for dinner with the beau.

It was clean, it was fast, and it. was. tasty.

Grilled chicken covered in Frank's Red Hot and Laughing Cow Blue Cheese, steamed veggies, and a Diet Cherry Pepsi

Sweet Moments Caramel Delights

Now, it’s time to finish The Adjustment Bureau, shower, and sleep, sweetly and hopefully for a long time.  So. So. tired.

Do you get yourself birthday presents?  How about special birthday outfits?

I pretty much always do.  And rest assured, I’ll be rocking a tiara that day…. hard.

IPA Day, Birthday, Thursday

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Good afternoon to you all and TGIF so, so much.

It’s been a long week, a full one, and a busy one! In fact, yesterday I was so busy that I had no time to write even a single post.  I’m sure you were all very disappointed, so here’s what you missed!

23 years (and one day) ago, this little man was born:

RyBaby!! So pensive over pizza.

It only made sense to start celebrating the day of his birth with a treat specially requested by the beau himself.

Cafe du Monde Beignet mix!!

While these were easy enough to mix, I realized moments after pouring that I was missing two key ingredients for the process:

  • Powdered sugar
  • A rolling pin

Neither of these could be substituted (well, I just really needed a rolling pin anyway) so at 7:40 am, I rolled up to Harris Teeter, looking classy as all get out in a dapper oversized t-shirt and boxers, unshowered and wiping sleep from my eyes. I’m sure everyone wanted to be my friend.  A quick purchase later, and a REALLY difficult amount of rolling the dough out, followed by a minor grease burn, with Ry’s help, we had…. BEIGNETS!

Mm.... Greasy fried dough!

They may not have been exactly like the ones we ate in NOLA, they were darn tasty.

During my lunch hour, instead of coming home for some No Pants time , I went to the gym, knowing full well I’d have no time to go after work.  A sweaty three miles on the elliptical were chased with a quick shower and then a delicious, yet slightly unfilling, meal.

Trader Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala

However, when I did what I normally do with tikka masala and rice (jam it all together for a mixed up tasty mash), it looked more like this:

Not exactly a lot of foods...

This frozen meal felt more like an appetizer. And I’m DESPERATELY craving real Indian food now (hear that, Ryan?  are you reading?)

After work, I was FINALLY able to participate in one of my (new) all-time favorite holidays!

We had a great night planned at Rockfish, and it was packed! Great company, a great brand rep from Peak Organic Brewing Company, and, let’s not forget, a great beer!!

Peak Organic's Hop Noir

From the brewer:

Hop Noir is a delectable Black IPA, dripping with piney, aromatic Centennial hops. The malt base is dark and rich, anchored by organic black malt. This provides a strong foundation for the extravagant kettle hopping and dry-hopping that this beer experiences. Enjoy with a night-light.

My thoughts?

This beer was a WELCOME change of pace from the other super floral hoppy IPAs I’ve enjoyed all week (like Monday’s double IPA lineup!)  The words I’d use to describe the beer would be malty, smokey, and dark! It was sort of like a campfire burn taste, but there were enough hops in there that you could absolutely tell it was an IPA. Black IPAs are pretty new to me, so I was stoked on this one.  We even had a few ladies from Girls Pint Out come to join in the fun!!

Oh yeah, then we came home and split an ENTIRE pepperoni pizza.

I’d say it was a bangup birthday, all around.  This weekend will be more exciting celebrations, one of the highlights being Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ tonight in Cary.

What are you doing this weekend?  Any fun plans?