Birthday Weekend Recap Part 1

My weekend started with a going away party for one of Todd's coworkers at a local pub & grille on Friday night. We had been there for about a half hour when all of a sudden someone taps me on the shoulder & wishes me a happy birthday. I was really shocked because I knew that no one knew my birthday was the next day so I turn around and my friend Emily was standing there! I must have had the biggest look of surprise on my face and kept asking her if she was really here. She drove down from Cleveland just for my birthday. Her & Todd had been talking for a couple weeks about it and I had no idea. I didn't know a ton of people at the going away party but Derek & Emily were also there so it ended up being a great night especially since Emily from Cleveland knew Derek & Emily because we'd all hung out before.

Emily, Emily, and me Emily, me, and Todd

Emily stayed at Todd's apartment Friday night and we got up on Saturday (my actual birthday) to do Race for the Cure.

We met Derek & Emily beforehand and walked to the start together

The Race for the Cure in Columbus had over 50,000 racers this year and is the 3rd largest in the world! It was awesome to see all these people out for a great cause. You could see pink for miles.

Some of the racers wore pink wigs in honor of a local news anchor, Heather Pick, and Stefanie Spielman (Chris Spielman's wife), who both passed away from breast cancer

We finished the 5K in about 45 minutes. Obviously with 50,000 people the start was pretty slow and we didn't run the whole thing. We walked the first half mile, ran a half mile, walked the second mile, and ran the last mile. We were going at a pretty slow pace while running, around 10 min/mi but my leg felt great!

Em & I ran into Tracy at the end of the race, one of our running buddies Todd & I afterwards

The 5 of us headed to brunch at Tasi after the race. This restaurant is in the downtown/Short North area near High Street but is off the beaten path so I feel like it's kinda a hidden gem. They make a great brunch though, I highly recommend it!

Outside Tasi

After what seemed like a long morning since we had been up since 7:00 AM, Emily, Todd and I headed back to Todd's apartment and Emily left shortly after. I was so excited to see her and spend part of my birthday with her.

Todd & I took a quick nap before getting ready for our picnic. He had been asking me all day when I wanted to open my birthday present and I figured it was a good time before we left for the afternoon. He brought my present into the room & I knew right away I would love it.

I mean, c'mon, what girl doesn't love getting something in this little blue bag

Last year, Todd got me a ring from Tiffany's and when he was there, he saw some earrings he liked so he went back this year and got them for me. I honestly was very surprised because I didn't have a clue what he was going to get me and I think he did a great job because I love them. They're very simple which is definitely my style when it comes to jewelry.

My new earrings

We were finally off for our annual birthday picnic in the early afternoon. We really lucked out with the weather because it had rained a lot the past few days but it ended up being sunny & perfect on Saturday. We headed to the same spot as last year, the Park of Roses.

Columbus Park of Roses

Our spread: sandwiches, chips, fruit, Sangria, and chocolate cake
Since it was so hot outside, the icing on the cake melted & it was more like chocolate sauce

Hanging out in the park

We came back to my apartment after the picnic and apparently Todd was pretty tired because he took another nap. Yes, he took 2 naps on my birthday. It's ok though, I figured it was my half birthday present to him since our birthdays are exactly 6 months apart.

Since we had already had brunch and a late picnic lunch, we didn't end up going to dinner until close to 8:00 PM. We tried a restaurant in Grandview that's only been open about a year that I'd been wanting to go to called Third & Hollywood.

Todd & I before dinner

We sat outside on the patio since it was a great night out. We started with an appetizer of guacamole & pimento dip with tortilla chips. I wasn't a huge fan of the pimento dip but the guac was excellent.

Our appetizer

I was so excited for our main dishes that I completely forgot to take a picture. Todd got the seafood special which was grilled char (similar to salmon) with mashed potatoes. I got the avocado & chicken caesar salad but they were out of chicken (I know, how does a restaurant run out of chicken?) so I substituted with the grilled char. We also ordered a side of garlic herb rolls that were to die for. All in all, it was a great meal with great company and capped off a wonderful 27th birthday.

The front of Third & Hollywood & our table we sat at

Stay tuned tomorrow for part 2 of my birthday weeekend!