Some people despise birthdays. But I love them and birthdays should remind one to appreciate time, success, failure, and basically, just being alive. Moving, breathing, tasting, and experiencing. Birthdays are for living.

I always try to take a few days and do things for me. It allows me to think about all the reasons that I love to be here, right now, working towards a life that will make me happy and proud. Turning 35 was a privilege!

I started my weekend on Thursday night at the 2013 Austin Tastemaker Awards. Local restaurants, chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers, bartenders, and craft brewers are nominated to be the Austin Tastemaker of the year. The 2013 nominees and winners can be found here. One of my favorite restaurants, Congress Austin, was nominated so I was very excited about trying their signature dish for the event. In fact, I was probably knocking people over trying to get to the booth.

Congress served a slow poached egg with sausage and herbs. It was UH-mazing! My second favorite dish of the night was Lenoir’s curried goat, and incidentally, Lenoir won the contest. Overall, it was a great event and I am always happy to support the local food community!

Friday was for relaxing, exercising, and happy houring. I TGIF’d Mexican martini style. Chuy’s Mexican martinis are a birthday tradition in these parts.

Saturday, my husband took me to Olive and June. Olive and June serves Tuscan, farmhouse inspired cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. We ordered the spring vegetable risotto, rigatoni, and gemelli for dinner with the citrus torta for dessert.

It was, as always, fantastic. Italy is one of my favorite destinations so any place that serves Tuscan inspired food will always have me as a customer! Watch out-carb overload!

Sunday, my actual birthday, was spent relaxing with friends. The weather was divine so I had to spend some time outside porchin’. If you have been reading my blog, you know porchin’ is serious business at my house. La Crema was today’s porchin’ wine accompanied by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Can’t go wrong with Chardonnay and The Great Gatsby. I am firm believer that drinking wine while reading the classics will make the experience greater.

I have to say it was an amazing birthday spent celebrating, appreciating, and soaking up fun with people that I love. And that’s all I really wanted or needed.