Birthday Fun

I had a great birthday this year, but I did a horrible job of documenting it, so you'll have to enjoy just a few photos. I woke up crazy early, kind of excited about the day, and cleaned off my desk. This might sound silly, but I really like to start my year off right, and decluttering the desk seemed like the right thing to do. And I did feel better, and tired, after doing that, so I went back to bed and actually slept in a little bit, which is a minor miracle for this early bird.

I had given Mac the charge of planning something fun for the day and he did a great job. We started out by heading to the Golden Nugget Flea Market in Lambertville, NJ. We took the scenic route there and just enjoyed the drive (part of which was on Rt. 612). We enjoyed browsing the flea market, but neither of us bought anything. Maybe next time...
Our next stop was for lunch in Lambertville. We ended up at a cute little deli (see the Project 365 photo) with great sandwiches. Then we walked over to the River Horse brewery for a tasting and tour. We missed the official tour, but Mac had been there before, so he showed me around. It's a small operation, but they put out some good brews. And for $1 we got to taste the 4 beers they had on tap. It was a really fun end to our little jaunt through Lamberville.

Our next stop was (for me) one of the most exciting parts of the day. We headed into Philly and drove straight to Calumet Photographic, where I plunked down some hard earned money for my new DSLR: a Nikon D90! I got the kit with a zoom lens and I splurged for a really nice 60mm macro lens as well. I'm really looking forward to getting to know this camera.

Our next stop was to drop our stuff off at the hotel where we stayed for the night. It was a really fun splurge to get a hotel for the night, but it worked out great. A bunch of Mac's friends were in town for Drexel's graduation and they were staying there as well. We then headed out to meet up with Kim, Mike and Meg for delicious dinner at Ariana Afghan restaurant.

I really love Afghan food. It's so flavorful, but not too spicy. We sat at the table in the window where you sit on cushions at a low table. The restaurant is BYOB, so I got to enjoy some of Mike's homebrewed beer and Kim brought a bottle of wine, too. It was a lovely dinner, even if it was a little warm in the restaurant.

And what's the best thing to do when you're a little warm? Go get ice cream, of course! After dinner we walked over to Franklin Fountain and stood in line for some delicious ice cream treats. The wait was totally worth it, especially since we were entertained by the 4-year-old in line in front of us. She was really excited about getting ice cream and was thrilled to have an adoring audience. It was pretty funny.

After dessert, Mac and I headed out to meet up with his friends for drinks at a bar close to the hotel. It was nice to meet his friends and to enjoy the warm evening with some cool drinks. After that we all walked back to the hotel.

I had to work at the Paper Source on Sunday, so I headed out of town pretty early, but Mac stuck around to catch up with some more folks who were in town for the weekend. I dropped him off at brunch in Philly and headed back into Princeton. It was a great way to spend my birthday!