Birthday 2012

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

December is a busy month around here.

Cooper's birthday was on the 12th - we celebrated with dinner at Petit Louis and also dinner at his parents' house.

My birthday was last Saturday, the 22nd. (We both turned 37.) As is my tradition, I celebrated with oysters, Aviator beers, and crab dip at McGarvey's.

This year, since it was a Saturday, the party was even better than usual. For one thing, in the morning, a couple of Cooper's high school friends came over for brunch. We try to get together every Christmas, and this year, brunch worked best for all involved.

It's always a good time and this year was no exception.

As an extra bonus, his friend Patrick brought me macarons from Laduree in Paris, where he lives. Macarons, as it turns out, are a fantastic way to kick off a new year.

The Annapolis portion of the day was even more fun than usual, too. Most years, we have a low-key lunch with just a few people. But this year, since it was a Saturday, we started around 4:30 and kept things going at McGarveys then Harry Browne's, our late-night Annapolis go-to, until late. Very late. 

Tons of my high school friends came out - including the ones who live in Maine and also Alison and Suzanne, who have been at nearly all of my birthday celebrations since I turned 21 - and Alicia, Mike and Bill made the trek down, reserving a room at the Governor Calvert House in downtown Annapolis.

There were plenty of oysters, an enormous amount of crab dip, and more holiday cheer than I can even put into words.

We carried that cheer through Monday, at my parents' house (more oysters) and yesterday, at Cooper's Aunt Diane's and at his parents'.

And now, as I look out the window, it's snowing.

Very merry, indeed.