Birthday Surprise

It was a good thing the week after our vacation was only three days long. Work is as busy as I've ever seen it. So in three quick days Saturday came around and it was my birthday. And what a birthday it was. Stephanie really went all out. Starting with breakfast, she made me crepes stuffed with bacon and cheese and topped with strawberry jam. Then there was a special crepe with chocolate and peanut butter. Delicious!

The weather was yucky so we spent the rest of the day lounging, watching movies, and just relaxing until it was time to go to dinner. For dinner we went to The Steak House. That's what it's called. I had my favorite appetizer of pickled herring, onions, and potatoes. The steak was actually really good - and not just by Tajikistan standards. We had cheesecake for dessert and I was quite satisfied.

When we got home, I almost died of a heart attack because when I opened the front door, about 20 people shouted "SURPRISE!". I was completely caught off guard and almost fell backwards through the front door. Stephanie had been very sneaky and laid false clues to get me to think that she was planning something for Sunday - even down to telling me to eat dessert at the restaurant because we would have cake the next day.

Meanwhile, she had enlisted the help of some of our friends to set up the house after we left for dinner and get everyone situated. Everyone parked away from the house and put their shoes and coats upstairs. I had no clue. It was a great surprise and a perfect birthday. Apparently I frustrated Stephanie because I scarfed down dinner so fast. And the restaurant didn't cooperate either - she encouraged me to pick the place because it's known for slow service, but when we were there, everything came out promptly.

As it turns out, the timing was perfect and no one had to wait too long. Since my surprise party was actually Saturday and not Sunday, we had Sunday free. It was a beautiful day so we took the new car out for a spin outside the city to take in the spring views, which in the mountains weren't so spring-like, but still beautiful.
We went as far as we could until we encountered an avalanche blocking the road. So we headed back into town and went up to Victory Park for a Sunday stroll among the green hills at lower altitudes.

The new car is great. Very comfortable, and very zippy, and a far cry from where we were a month ago.

Now I'm a few days in to an incredibly busy week, but on the bright side, our R&R trip to Italy is only a month away!