happy birthday to me...

Today I am 25.

Over the weekend the Hubbs and I celebrated with my mom and step-dad at a lovely Hawaiian fusion restaurant in Palm Springs. It was my first "grown-up" birthday.

Our destination was Roy's, a restaurant specializing in Hawaiian-Japanese fusion cuisine.

It was a very warm breezy evening, making it feel like we were actually on a tropical island.

Me: Pink palm tree dress by California Concepts, straw clutch (actually a make-up bag) from Avon, wedge heels by Timberland (not shown).

Hubbs: Linen palm frond shirt by Tommy Bahama, jeans from Anchor Blue, black shoes by Steve Madden (not shown).

My birthday drink, Roy's Island Mai Tai: "A sweet blend of Cruzan White Rum, fresh pineapple, triple sec and Myers Dark Rum for a flavor only found at Roy’s."

Our meal was delicious. Words cannot describe the absolute creative genius of this restaurant and its chef. If you have a Roy's near you, you must visit! To begin we ordered Crunchy Lobster Potstickers. Oh. So. Good. Mom and Jason shared a platter of Spicy Tuna sushi rolls; she and my step-dad also tried the Kobe Beef sushi rolls and said they were delectable as well.

For our main courses, Mom had Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish--a very delicate white fish in a rich marinade. Dennis had the Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi [I didn't try it as I'm horribly allergic to tree nuts]. Hubbs had Hawaiian Blackened Island Ahi--good, but I'm weird about raw [or semi-raw] fish. And the birthday girl stuck with a light spring time dish. The Maui Wowie Shrimp Salad: "Capers, Sweet Onions, Crumbled Feta Cheese & Caper Lime Vinaigrette." It also had fresh chunks of avocado in it.

Their desserts were just as wonderful as their main courses. Hubbs had the Molten Hot Chocolate Soufflé, but of course he dug into it before I could even get a snapshot. I again chose a lighter option and went with "Anakalia's Passion," an orange and lemon cake dusted with green tea. It was so good!

But the highlight of the evening was when they brought out this beautiful cream puff for me. There was no calling the restaurant to attention, no butchered rendition of happy birthday from a bunch of strangers. It was quiet, intimate, and beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes.

And of course by the end of the meal I was feeling pretty good from my Mai Tai, and just had to snap this shot of me playing around in the bathroom.



And, without trying to sound horribly conceited, I look good with wavy hair.

Edited: This morning I woke up to four things that made my heart do a little dance.
- My husband came running down the hall to pick me up and spin me around as soon as I opened the bedroom door. His words? "Happy birthday gorgeous! You look a whole year younger!" ♥

- I had two new James Patterson books waiting for me on the couch from him. Sail and 7th Heaven. [Of course, the first thing I noticed was they were aqua and red!] I can't wait to devour them!

- He had pictures printed out of the DVDs I'll be receiving from Amazon: Six Days, Seven Nights; Beetlejuice; Jurassic Park III; and Kissing Jessica Stein. All four for less than $25. Can he bargain shop or what?!

- My inbox held this juicy little surprise for me:

Which worked out perfectly since I was headed their way to purchase something anyways. I chose to go with the Vanilla Cupcake Bubbles and Body Wash.

Apparently I'm looking pretty good for 25!