Even though Bill’s birthday is actually Wednesday, we decided to have an early birthday party at the apartment last night. We spent most of the day cleaning, cooking and getting ready for our guests. Check out the spread pre-party:
I decided to label the dips as I’ve seen on various blogs. Bill actually made these, and they turned out really well. I would highly recommend the White Bean Artichoke recipe he found on Epicurious.
And of course, we had to have a cheese and veggie platter.
And Amy offered to bring a savory appetizer, which was great. She ended up bringing the meat below (I can’t remember the name right now, but it was sort of like prosciutto) and this amazing mushroom dip. I was so happy she brought a meat-based item because (of course) I totally forgot about the meat eaters in the group. I guess that’s what happens when you eat mostly vegetarian.
It was great how once everyone showed up, we all clustered around the food table.
Kate and I were talking about the Vitamix 5200 earlier in the week, and we both thought it might be a nice idea to make some blended drinks.
… which then turned into a riot in the kitchen between Kate, Katherine and Rob (photo by Brian)…
WARNING: My friend Brian is an amazing photographer, so I stole some of his photos from facebook and credited those he took below. Bill said this was ok – and I hope that is so, Brian?! They’re just too good not to post!
The night progressed and the guys played their music (photo by Brian)…
Keith showed off not just one or two – but three drinks he had in his hands. He was all about the blended drinks.
Amy and Brian gave Bill his gift – Amy made him a “cozy” for his french press. This photo doesn’t do it justice, but it is the coolest thing…
Then it was game time with some Taboo. I can’t tell you our team names at this time….
Is Marie bored? Maybe.
A couple of heavy thinkers on this team…(photo by Brian)…
Brian was the ultimate buzzer….(photo by Brian)…
And I had to throw a picture of me in this mix – because there aren’t many. (photo by Brian)…
Then it was time for cake! But guess what? We didn’t have any candles, so we improvised….(photo by Brian)…
I made Bill an Angel Food Cake with Orange Jello – this is a family recipe my grandmother and mother both uses. It’s been passed down through the generations (unfortunately, I didn’t get any close ups..) (photo by Brian)…
We hung out for a while, finished playing Taboo, chatted, played more music – all that stuff. And then a certain someone finally came out of the bedroom and said “Hello” to Marie… (photo by Brian)…
The rest of the evening was basically spent watching Scone and trying to get him to do tricks 
Special thanks to all our friends who are reading the blog right now and came to Bill’s birthday party! You guys really made it special. He had a great time, and we’re so happy that you all made the trek to Maryland (some traveling great distances). We are so happy to have met you all in Washington (some PA) and love our group of friends
SUNDAY
Having a party the night of daylight savings time is not necessarily the best idea – but we had fun! I didn’t get to bed until VERY late and then proceeded to sleep in VERY late. We really wanted greasy food in the morning, so we went to the Diner up the street.
I had a bagel with ham and egg:
And a side of homefries - they were so good.
We went grocery shopping, then I took a little nap when I got home. My stomach was feeling very acidic from coffee, but I knew I needed to do my long run. Eventually I made it over to Rock Creek Park and put in a 6.4 mile long run in about an hour and ten minutes. It was such a good run! I am so happy that it’s staying lighter out for longer. I love summer!
Scallops were on sale at Harris Teeter today, so we cooked some up when we got back from the park.
With some golden round potatoes and asparagus…
Shoot! Talk about a mega post! I still need to finish up a bit of homework and also pack my lunch for tomorrow. Adios!
