After an absolutely fantastic birthday at work, I couldn’t think of any better way to spend the rest of the evening, than with my family.
Jay and I met up with my parents and my brother at Villa Valenti restaurant, which has long been a local favorite spot of mine (I can’t believe I haven’t been here since starting the blog?!). They serve up some killer Italian food, and since I tend to crave Italian like, all the time, it was definitely no question.
One of my favorite things about Villa Valenti is their fresh baked bread and rolls with dipping oil. Swooooon.
Another one of my favorite things? Their salad bar. Ah-maz-ing.
I could easily make a meal out of just the bread and the salad bar.
But of course, that’s not how it goes. Because then I’d miss out on my third favorite thing at Villa Valenti…their sauce. They make their own, and it’s just so darn delicious. I was having a tough time deciding what I wanted to get with their sauce, but I ultimately decided on their eggplant parmesan…which was easily enough to feed a family of four.
Seriously. The portions at that place are out of control. All five of us easily went home with leftovers, and I now still have plenty left for dinner tonight. Scooooore.
You know, just a random thought here…but as I was typing this up, I got to thinking about how I very rarely see any other bloggers eat out at Italian restaurants. Does anyone else notice that? Am I the only one who’s completely and utterly in love with classic Italian meals that are large enough to feed a small army? But anyway…back to where we were.
Even though I’m sure we were all pretty stuffed, we all made sure to leave a teeny bit of room for dessert. I mean, c’mon…it was a birthday cake baked by mom!
And they even brought candles for me. 
This year’s cake was a funfetti cake (always delicious) with my favorite almond buttercream frosting.
I enjoyed every last bite of my little piece of cake while opening up a couple of gifts (I’ve got some new clothes for Mexico!) and just spending time with the family. It was the perfect way to end an absolutely awesome birthday.
Honestly, I think that this year’s birthday was one of my favorites in a long time. From start to finish, I just felt so loved (I know, I’m such a sap) from everyone around me (including all of you!). Not to mention the fact that I ate a ton of delicious food, too.
Now today, we’re back to reality, and they’ll be no more crazy talk about birthday week. You’ve got another whole year before you have to hear about that again. 
Question for the Morning:
What’s your fondest birthday memory ever?
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