J's Birthday!

This past weekend was J's birthday.  It was also the first weekend since he finished up class for the semester.  So I told him we could do anything he wanted.  It was all up to him.  And surprisingly he didn't want to do remodeling stuff.  I don't know what's wrong with him.  He wanted to have fun.  I think putting in a backsplash sounds like a lot of fun, but it was his birthday, so I let him decide what was fun.  ;-)

On Friday we sat at The Terrace and had beer.  This was also the last day my friend would be in town until next semester, so we celebrated double.  My boss took us all out for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.  It was a fun afternoon filled with laughs and good times.  It was busy at The Terrace due to graduation, but the weather couldn't have been more perfect and the company better.

On Saturday, we got up early to get a start on the day.  It was another beautiful day here in WI.  The sun was shining without a cloud in the sky.  Okay, it was a little on the warm side for me, but I hate the hot weather.  We started our day with some caffeinated fuel.

 
I got J this cute little tea steeper.  It's a little robot that holds onto the sides of the mug.  I love it so much I wish I would have ordered one for myself.  Isn't he cute?

After making some coffee of J and tea for me, we set out to hit up some garage sales.  We didn't get much, just a few books and a pump for a fountain project, look for that in the future.  But it was fun looking and spending time together.

We then took a little trip to the east side of town to get a light early lunch and go to Sears.  Yes, both me and J enjoy a trip to Sears.  And it doesn't hurt that I have a $150 worth of member points burning a hole in my pocket.  But we held off on buying anything to do a little research.  Hey, we're nerds, we can't help it.

After a little shopping on the east side we headed downtown.  We parked the car and walked around the square and all the way down State St. (yes it has it's own Wiki page), hitting up every record store on the way.  J loves vinyl.  Just thumbing through all the records makes him happy.  We also hit up a used book store, where surprise surprise, J picked up a number of records.

We strolled down to The Terrace, only to find it overrun with graduates and their families, so that was a no go.

Dinner was outstanding.  We went to a ramen and dumpling bar called Umami.  It was our first time there and it won't be our last.  We got the chilled tofu, veggie dumplings (large order) and two bowls of ramen.  It was amazing.  I was going to take pictures of our food, but we ate it before the camera could even come out.  The next time we go I'll make sure to snap a few pictures.

Sunday was more laid back.  J went to his parents with little Yoda in tow.  I stayed home and made cupcakes.  Oh yeah.  It's not a birthday without cake or cupcakes.

I made angel food cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Oh my, that sounds like heaven.  I added a little bit of food coloring to the frosting to make it look a little marbled.

My frosting technique gets better with every try.  I was pretty pleased with how these turned out.  Not too bad for only my second try.  I hope they were a hit at J's work.  I really hope there are some left over, but I'm not holding my breath.

How was everyone else's weekend?  I hope it was as sunny and filled with happiness as mine.  

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Don't forget to stop by my Three Fates Design Blog for a chance to win this great beaded pendent.  The giveaway ends on May 31st, so get over there and enter today.