What's my age again?

Source: here

Last Saturday I turned the grand old age of 23, but - don't worry - I managed to spread my birthday celebrations out for a good week before that.  I kicked things off with a 'pizza and cocktail' party at our flat, which basically involved a lot of tacky decorations (my favourite!) and some very good friends.  I was even treated to a stunning, personalised birthday cake, made by my very talented sister from another mister, Emily.  And, yes, it tasted just as good as it looked!

After some recovery time, I was ready for a family birthday meal and birthday cake number two, hand made by my lovely Mum.  My parents also treated me to some fantastic early gifts, since they were heading off on holiday the next day.

Next on the agenda was a brief road trip up to Aberdeen to see one of Craig's friends from school.  Before hitting the town for a few drinks, we managed to fit in a trip to nearby Stonehaven for award winning fish and chips at The Bay, as well as a visit to the grounds of Dunnottar Castle as the sun was starting to set.  The next day, we also discovered the beautiful beach at Balmedie Country Park and (literally) stumbled upon a huge desert crater full of sand.  It was breathtaking, and almost like being on another planet!  I can't take credit for the photo of it, though, as I've shamelessly stolen it from Andrew.

A few nights later, as a very generous birthday treat, my dear sister took me out to a surprise dinner in Edinburgh.  It turned out to be a Mexican feast at the hidden gem, Tex Mex II, on Thistle Street.  I'd never been before, but both the food and frozen margaritas were to die for!  The restaurant is so tiny and tucked away that you might have trouble spotting it, but definitely make sure to book a table if you decide to visit.  The number of people turned away at the door while we were there was crazy!

Finally, the 7th rolled around and we reached my actual birthday.  I decided that I wanted to spend my first day as a grown up 23 year old at Edinburgh Zoo, playing with penguins and pandas.  Craig blew up 30 balloons in my honour (he says his lungs and fingers are sore now), made me a nice breakfast and I opened some cards and presents from my lovely friends and family before we headed out to the zoo.  In the end, the pandas didn't come out to play, but my favourite part was probably the penguin parade, which I caught on film, so you can pretend you were there too!