Birthday!

Today is Bart's 25 birthday! And, as I'm sure you're aware, it is also St. Patrick's day.

I think it would be pretty neat to have my birthday on a major holiday like this one--people all over the city are dressed up in the most ridiculous outfits and celebrating their hearts out. They even dye the river bright green here! It almost seems like everyone in Chicago is celebrating Bart.

Unfortunately, Bart has a big test Tuesday, so he is spending most of today studying. Last night we went out to eat with 15 of Bart's friends to celebrate at Hop Haus. It's this restaurant/bar with the most amazing burgers! They even have "wild burgers"--kangaroo meat, ostrich, wild boar, etc. Cool, right? I don't think anyone was brave enough to sample one of those, though. I made the mistake of ordering a "small" caesar salad--it was the BIGGEST salad I have EVER seen in my entire life. Obviously, the only other food I was able to eat after that salad was a single bite of Bart's burger.

All in all, I think it was a pretty good party. Bart really seemed to enjoy himself, especially once we got to this great Irish pub, the Kerryman. As you know, I'm not a big drinker (I actually didn't even get my usual glass of wine last night), but I had the BEST time at the bar. The music was great, the atmosphere was fantastic and the bartender who served me a whiskey (for our friend who bought our dinners) was IRISH. I mean with the accent and everything. I love Irish accents. Love them.

In other news, I finally booked a DJ for the wedding! The guy is SO nice and is really interested in making sure our wedding is a great party. He really cares about the music we like and cares about how much fun our guests will have (a lot, I think!). I'm so glad that we chose him!

I think tomorrow Bart and I are going to take a trip down the street to this great florist shop. They have taken pity on me and promised to help me out with my wedding flower selections. This way, when I call florists on the East Coast, I won't get taken advantage of; I'll be informed! I'm pretty excited to see what the babys-breath bouquets will look like. My darling little wedding planner and cousin, Alyssa, gave me the thumbs-up on them when I asked her opinion, so I want to find out prices.