birthday weekend!

all in all it has been a very big week, what with the engagement last Sunday (which feels both like it was a million years ago and like it was a dream) and then my birthday on Thursday. but that just means lots of fun things happened :)

Chris's parents' puppy Gizzy that we got to play with yesterday:)

• first and foremost, the very best thing, and why Chris is the best, is that for my birthday I got...ANNA! I walked into my birthday dinner on Thursday night which was supposed to just be Chris and I and not only were a lot of my local friends there, Anna was too :) Which was amazingly fantastically wonderful. And I got to spend the weekend after I got engaged/my birthday weekend with my best friend instead of her being in D.C.
• Also on my birthday, my blog (and Anna's!) were mentioned by the SHU box, which since I am officially obsessed with her blog was a great (if accidental) birthday present.
• Thursday during the day = gluten free brownies from the people I babysit for, Thursday dinner = gluten free fried rice from PF Changs. lots of good food.
• Also Thursday night we went up to Top of the Hub (the restaurant in Back Bay where you can see all of Boston) for drinks, which was awesome and definitely worth doing. The drinks were yummy too :)
• Friday morning, I got to go to the spa. See, Chris got me a GroupOn to a spa on Newbury Street for my birthday LAST year, but I never had time to go, so I went now. I also highly recommend Spa Newbury, it was amazing.
• Also on Friday, Anna and I had lunch with Lindsay and Rae (on Rae's lunch break) and then went to Lindsay's to hang out. Since all four of us are engaged now (insane) it's nice to have others to chat with (and not annoy) even though our wedding isn't for 18-24 months.
• Friday evening = Margaritas in Waltham for drinks and dinner, and then some Waltham wandering.
• Saturday = Chris's parents' house on the lake, to play with the puppy and hang out on the porch for my birthday. and Chris's dad made potato salad. and Margo made me cupcakes. There's a distinct possibility that for dinner last night, I had potato salad and a cupcake. and that I did the same tonight.
• and last, Sunday... brunch at Elephant Walk, which is by far my favorite Boston brunch. They have Cambodian bloody marys!! once you switch, you won't go back.

Overall, it's been an amazing few days. And I don't want this week to start, because this week means classes start, being a TA starts, lab meetings start, and summer is over :( but that's OK, because A) I LOVE the fall in New England and B) I have a feeling there are lots more exciting things coming.