For the BFF's pre-bday celebration we started off with "drunken Wii", which I was the only one who sucked at. haha Karenella prepared a fabulous dinner for us to feast on, courtesy of Giada. It was a scrumptious pasta dish with clams, shrimp, white wine and shallots. She teared up as she cut the shallots but in the end we agreed they were both worth it. We sipped white wine while waiting for the clams to open. After calling it a fairly early night we casually awoke craving bagels. The birthday heiress and I ventured out for bagel sandwiches and Starbucks. After devouring the breakfast we made a quick dash to my mom's to get her gift. I had put together a Mexitalican gift (Mexican-Italian-American), as she is the Italian wannabe. The present included a table runner with matching napkins, gold charger plates, iron scrolled napkin rings, cheese knives and a wine decanter. I love putting together gifts for her, I can be creative and basically pick out what I would want for myself! She seemed to really enjoy them. My mom also surprised us with homemade scones and cookies. Delish!
We hit the road tackling traffic. The four of us entertained ourselves by singing and dancing to the tunes in the car. Rock, 80s, hip hop, Sinatra were all in the mix. Finally we reached our first destination, pumpkin patch! This particular one is a tradition. We picked out 2 large pumpkins and 2 small (one for the cats and one for me). We snacked on pumpkin pie, root-beer floats and hot apple cider. Once leaving with the perfect pumpkins (and taking a zillion adorable photos) we adjourned to the Ritz-Carlton, positioned sea-side off Highway 1. We sat in the lounge, fireplaces blazing, overlooking the water. The waiter brought us a charcuterie plate while we enjoyed champagne cocktails. There was pate, prosciutto, duck and olive bread. A couple was getting married down below us, a formal affair. (Quick side note, people were seriously rude
by crowding the windows to watch the bride they didn't know. It blocked all the views and made the place feel claustrophobic. Annoying.)
We strolled on the path to the water after our beverages. There was a bagpiper playing on the golf course and Adirondack chairs strewn about where you could stare at the ocean. It was calm, beautiful. Afterward we made our way to Moss Beach Distillery, a fun, "haunted", historic landmark nearby. We sat by firepits while waiting to be seated listening to the waves crash on the beach. At dinner we toasted Karen's birthday and partook of clam chowder, ribs, lamb and halibut. A brownie sundae arrived to finish off the evening.
All in all, a great day with great friends. One I'll remember even if it is primarily via Facebook. :)
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