Birthday Dinner at Coyote Grill

Birthdays get trickier as you get older. Or maybe its just me. I didn't want to have a huge birthday party this year, so I decided that the perfect birthday would be dinner with a few close friends at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, right here in little Old Town Fairfax called the Coyote Grill & Cantina. My mom laughed at me when I started telling her who was there, because she didn't consider a group of 16 "small" ... but it was fantastic.

They had us all set up on the patio outside, and everything was perfect. Well, before everyone even arrived, the thunder and lightening seemed to be getting closer, and Charley (our waiter) kept going to check on the clouds. When they were definitely ominous, he strongly suggested that we move. Reluctantly, we did. We moved around the corner, still outside, but now underneath the cover of the roof. Sure enough, about 5 minutes after we moved, the rain came. It POURED. It was a typical Virginia thunderstorm, and it was actually really cool to be outside watching it, but under cover (although when the wind started blowing I think a few people got a little shower). Apparently the theme of anything to do with my birthday this year involved rain ... the Nationals game (which at one time I thought was what I wanted to do with everyone for my birthday - boy am I glad I reconsidered that!), the trip to Cooperstown (although it was beautiful while we were there, it poured almost the entire time we were driving), and now on my birthday dinner?

After we finished dinner, Jenny went to get the most amazing cake in the world out of the freezer ... a chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake from Maggie Moo's. Seriously, it was incredible. I think almost everyone had seconds (some thirds) and it was divine. And, you'd think with one little candle it wouldn't be a problem right? I think it was whoever teased me that I wouldn't blow it out that jinxed me ... because I don't know where I blew, but I really almost didn't make it! But, I did. I guess that wish has to come true now, right?! :)

And yes, those are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on top of the cake. Thanks to all my friends who came to celebrate with me that night. It was the perfect low-key birthday that I wanted this year.

And the prize for the coolest birthday present goes out to Jimmy ... a baseball trophy. Not one that he'd swiped from a little league tournament, but one that he had inscribed on the plaque, "Shanna Lillywhite * 30 Ballparks Before 30 * MLB 1987-2008." I should have known there was a reason he asked me if I remembered when my first baseball game was! (And by the way, if you're going to get technical, it is actually 36 ballparks - 6 of which are old ones that don't exist anymore, starting back in 1987. Of the current 30, I saw my first one in Baltimore the summer that I moved to DC.)

Birthdays are the best when you have good friends to share them with. Sorry to those of you who got wet, who had to drive through a torrential thunderstorm after a long day of work or after a late class - I really have the best friends EVER. Thanks to everyone for making it such a great day!