if you weren’t already aware (from this mushy post), this past friday (july 3rd) was S and my first year anniversary. on top of that, this weekend was also america’s birthday. needless to say between 365 days together and another year of our country’s independence, we had a lot to celebrate.

when i arrived home from work on friday, these beauties were waiting for me along with an anniversary card that brought me to tears. the book leaning up against the vase was my gift to S, an album i created using artifact uprising, filled with photos of our first year together. it’s a tradition i hope to continue for years to come!

 

 

after we dried our eyes and pulled ourselves together, we changed into dressier ensembles and headed northbound to our dining destination, 333 pacific in the oceanside harbor.

we kicked-off our meal with a cocktail a piece -a moscow mule for him, a martini-esque drink called “the white tiger” (pearl plum vodka, white cranberry juice & lemon juice) for me. though mine was delicious, i kind of wished i had ordered a mule if only for the opportunity to sip out of the cute copper mug. speaking of cute…

 

 

 

to sop up the alcohol so yours truly wasn’t passed out at the table, we opted for an appetizer to start. having sampled their sushi rolls on a previous visit, i convinced S to split 333 pacific’s version of a classic california roll with me before our entrees arrived. for the main event, S chose the cedar river farms natural shortribs with the accompaniments of edamame & corn succotash and a blue crab hash brown. i kept the asian cuisine theme going by ordering the vegetable stir fry -a dish i wish i had been able to enjoy more except for the fact that i had fried my taste buds with the red chili glaze that had been smothered over most of the tofu and infused into the rice as well. serves me right for not heeding to the “spicy” label warning. to cap off our evening, the restaurant staff honored our special evening with a complimentary dessert, a flourless chocolate cake with the words “happy anniversary” written in chocolate around the plate.

 

 

we nibbled on the chocolatey confection but saved our appetite for our next and final stop of the evening, the baked bear. while the meal overall wasn’t our favorite to date, the drinks, the scenery, and above all else -the company helped to make the evening memorable nonetheless.

the next day was of course, 4th of july. tradition has it that our club throws an intimate bash with 1500 of our closest friends and family. you know, just a casual afternoon. anyway, due to the magnitude of the event, all staff members are required to work -if only for a few hours. so after a lazy morning at home and dressed in our best patriotic attire, S and i drove to the club to celebrate america’s birthday. while i took photos of members and their guests as they arrived, S looked on, standing patiently to the side for the entire four and a half hour shift. seriously, what a guy.

 

 

as soon as the clock struck 7:30 p.m., i hung up my camera and S and i made a beeline to casa de bandini for some mexican food -because nothing says “happy birthday america” more than chips and salsa, right? by that time we were both starving and freezing (so much for summer!) so our authentic meal definitely hit the spot.

the rest of the weekend was spent at the driving range (we were long overdue for a visit!), running errands, watching the women’s soccer team clinch the world cup title, and napping. because four and a half hours on your feet will really take its toll (how you teachers do it, i don’t know).

anyway, much like these past 365 days with S have been, this weekend celebrating both our relationship and america’s independence was pretty darn special. in fact, i can’t help but feel that it’s only appropriate that our anniversary would fall on 4th of july weekend every year because at every risk of sounding cheesy,

life with S is always fireworks. 

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