Design Life Diaries: Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday happens to fall on February 14^th, which to the rest of the world is known as Valentines Day. The day I was born the nurses kept asking my mom if she would name me Valentina...thank goodness that didn't happen. There are pros and cons for sure, but for the most part I absolutely love having this fun holiday as my birthday.

For one, It feels like the whole world is celebrating with you. In high school we were able to send roses and candy on Valentine's day to classmates. I absolutely loved this because I could always count on getting flowers and candies to celebrate my birthday each year.

The downside to a valentine birthday is the whole world is celebrating with you. As in also wanting those prime table reservations, spa appointments, special treatment, and apparently to go to Disneyland on your one ‘get-in-free-because-its-your-birthday’ day. That being said, the ultimate upside is that no one easily forgets your birthday, which is always great and makes you feel extra special!

Christopher's birthday is a week and a half before mine, so between our birthdays and Valentines Day it's a pretty hectic time of the year for us. We usually celebrate each one separately (Valentines Day is usually celebrated the week after my birthday) but I'm sure down the road we might combine them for a huge trip or some other major adventure. Being that our special days are so close, it's hard to not get a little competitive with planning each other's birthdays. This year, I have to say that even though I put up a good fight, the hubby clearly won this year's battle of the birthdays.

Breakfast: Christopher is known for his fair share of great birthday breakfasts. Even before we were married, I would wake up from a text that he was at my door to start the day. From homemade breakfast in bed to Starbucks and Chick-fil-A brought to my door, he knows how it's done. This year he clearly outdid himself and I don't know how he will ever top it.

One of my favorite breakfast entrées I’ve ever ordered was a crab cake eggs benedict dish from Society Café in the Wynn, Las Vegas. Somehow, Chris recreated it perfectly. It tasted even better than it looks!

The Spa: Next we went to relax with massages at Burke Williams in West Hollywood. Being that it was Valentines Day, they had chocolate covered strawberries and champagne in addition to their usual goodies.

Lunch: After the spa we headed over to one of my favorite lunch spots, Joann's on Third. It's also a great place to pick up picnic supplies for the park or beach. We ran into some friends in line at the counter, which was an added great surprise for the day!

The Birthday Game: Knowing how I love wine tastings, Chris decided to put together one of his own for me at home. And what made it even better, was how he turned it into a fun game!

How to play:

Take a lazy susan and arrange 6 tasting bottles of wine on the perimeter, each with its own color bow. The birthday girl or boy spins the tray (gently!) and whichever wine lands on the big bow, that’s the wine you taste. AND you get to open the present with the same color bow as that bottle! Such a fun, unique way to start our night!

Dinner: The last two years we went to some of my favorite restaurants to celebrate my birthday only to find ourselves overcrowded, rushed through our meal, and the obligatory pre-fixe menu to be disappointing. Even restaurants that are normally five star in my book transform into churn and burn, revolving door food factories on national heart day. I thought this was an unavoidable hardship of being a valentine baby, but Chris had other plans. Instead of doing the run-of-the-mill romantic dinner, he had the bright idea to get drinks and small plates at three different locations that we have been dying to try. Genius!

We used Sidecar taxi system to get from home to the Bazaar, to Chateau Marmont, to the Den, and back home for an amazing price with great drivers. This makes your night out relaxing and stress free knowing you have a safe way to explore the city.