It's My Birthday! (In 7 days)

My parents came yesterday for a few hours before they boarded a flight out of Sea-Tac. Even though we only live 3 hours away, it's been 2 1/2 months since we've last seen them. My mom came up the stairs loaded with gifts and cupcakes. It took me a few seconds to realize that they had brought my birthday gifts with them! I was so excited, as I had not been expecting this at all. (My birthday is being a little overshadowed by our trip to Europe...not that I mind!)

My parents are so sweet and thoughtful! I got a cute pair of shoes, a hoodie and a Scentsie candle. Yum. Our apartment already smells like citrus. Fabio decided since we were celebrating my birthday he might as well get my gift out too. He got me my first ever apron! It's called a "Flirty Apron" and I love it! (Notice me showing off my gifts below.)



My mom then informed me that the cupcakes were NOT for me! They were in honor of Fabio's naturalization. (If I had looked closer, I would have realized they were red, white and blue.) Really, who cares! These cupcakes are famous in our family. They were made by the same lady who did our wedding cupcakes, Abbie's wedding cake and Dale's wedding cupcakes, and we still crave them all the time! A dozen cupcakes for less than $5! Oh, so heavenly! Again, my mom is so thoughtful!!!



We then made the trek to Ravenna to our newly found favorite Italian restaurant, owned by two brothers from Taranto! Who knew??? Not us until a month ago. The food is AMAZING. It's a true Italian experience in almost every way! The owners' mamma came out to visit with us. She only speaks Italian is so adorable and sweet. The owner also came out in his chef outfit to make sure the food was ok. Being married to an Italian has definite perks.

On another note, the Europe countdown is in the single digits: 7 days!!! (We're crossing our fingers that the British Airway strike doesn't affect our flight from London to Bologna.) No matter what, it's gonna be sweeeet!