I’m backkkkkk! Happy Sunday! I’ve had a busy few days and am thankful that today has been a little more calm and lazy.

My 24th birthday was a busy and fun one! I took the day off work, and my mom came into Springfield to spend the day with me shopping and running errands. I absolutely LOVE shopping with my mom, so it’s always a treat when we get to go out and spend the day together.

I woke up early to get in a quick 4 mile run before she got here around 8 AM on Friday, and we went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Yes, you might think I’m crazy for going there on my bday, but I love their breakfast food so much! After my run I was hungry so I had some turkey bacon, biscuits with gravy. and scrambled eggs. I ate every last bite and wasn’t the least bit guilty. Birthday = the calories don’t matter!

After breakfast we headed off to go shopping at Target and the Battlefield Mall. We spent wayyyy too much time going through all the Halloween clearance aisles at Target. Mac got a good gift out of it though.

A Mega rawhide bone! This thing was way too big for him, but I couldn’t help but get it since it was half off!

He loves it and drags it all over the house. It’s the cutest thing ever basically.

For lunch we popped into the Ruby Tuesday that is in the mall to save on time. The petite sirloin was calling my name.

It was delicious, and I ate every bite of this meal too!

After shopping, we headed back to my house where some very beautiful flowers were waiting for me…

Nick did a wonderful job! I love red roses, and these babies are making my kitchen smell amazing. So pretty!

My mom headed home after we divided up all our goodies from shopping, and I waited for Nick to arrive home from work. We had dinner reservations at a local restaurant called Fire & Ice.

We headed over to dinner around 7 PM. They had a nice little booth reserved for us when we arrived. Our meal began with some spinach and artichoke dip…

That was absolutely COVERED in white cheese. So needless to say, Nick ate most of this stuff on his own. Luckily I wasn’t starving since I had so much throughout the day.

Then for our main dishes, I had a grilled chicken and gnocchi ratatouille dish. The chicken, veggies, and sauce were delicious.

The gnocchi though was a little squishy, and I wasn’t a fan at all. I ate a few bites, but left most of those little potato dumplings in my plate. Nick liked his meal better than I did thankfully!

He had the bacon wrapped beef medallions with mashed potatoes and carrots. All of it was perfect, and he ate every last bite. 🙂

For dessert we shared a small creme brulee that was to die for!

It was heavenly, and I think we each could’ve eaten our own! Luckily I had cookie cake waiting for me at home though.

By the time dinner was over, it was 9 PM and I was ready to head home after my busy day. Shopping and eating takes a lot out of a girl! Plus I knew we had a busy day planned for Saturday, so the earlier the bedtime, the better. We had tickets to go see White Christmas the musical on Saturday afternoon! But more on that later.

It was a great little birthday. I’m so thankful for my wonderful family and boyfriend that helped to make it special.

But that’s all for now. I’ll recap the rest of my birthday weekend later. For now, I’m trying to catch up on all my typical weekend stuff. Hope you’re having a great Sunday!