Ah, Brothers.

Speaking of birthdays, five years and seven days after I was born, this bundle of joy made his way into the world (screaming bloody murder, I'd like to note):

My baby brother, William, is twenty-two today. You might think this means he is not a baby anymore, which seems impossible as just yesterday we were doing this:

William, or Dee, as my Mom and I call him for reasons unknown, was a very welcome addition to our little family per my recollection. If you ask my Mom, she says, "Thank goodness he was a boy." Perhaps she thinks I couldn't handle sharing my daughter spotlight.

Regardless, William simply embodies joie de vivre. He is the happiest, friendliest, silliest boy you'll ever meet. He tells hilarious jokes (and then, if you laugh, he tells them over and over and over again). What he lacks in patience (a family trait if there ever was one), he makes up for in his ability to entertain. He has a ridiculously good memory and loves to start stories with, "Remember when..."

Our childhood is replete with happy stories and imaginative theatrics, as well as our share of sibling disagreements. Though I may have been bossy and often balked at sharing the attention, my life is so much better because of him. He's the kind of kid that makes you wish everyone could have a brother.

And now he's all grown up:


But to me, he will always be this kiddo:

My favorite picture of William. Ever.

Happy Birthday, Dee. I am so glad you were born.

Twenty-Seven

Well, once again the week seems to be getting away from me. Goal for the twenty-seventh year: improve time management skills. So let's have a birthday recap before it's all a distant memory.

The birthday was a particularly great one. We started it off with coffee in bed, sweet cards, and some amazing gifts (in nickel pearl).

Then there was the cake. Hugh baked me a birthday cake. From scratch. I gave it a name: Vanilla Bean Cake with Lemon Curd, Fresh Strawberries, and Vanilla Whipped Cream. This is what it looked like:

Birthday Girl and my dog shadow.

Then we went to a delightful birthday lunch, complete with Bellinis. Then we did a little birthday shopping. And then, Hugh took me here for dinner. And my life was complete. The food was amazing. The drinks were amazing. We had the best time eating and talking and toasting.

And this is what we drank:

• World's Best Margarita. Literally.
• Whiskey Smash: Bourbon, Gum Syrup, Lemon, Mint
• Havana Hotel: Rum, Lime, Pineapple Gum Syrup, Grand Marnier
• Sauvignon Blanc: The Crossings, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2009 (exactly what you want from NZ)
• Corvina, etc.: L'Arco, Rosso, Italy, 2004 (Burgundy befriended Valpolicella)

And this is what we ate:

• Sourdough Bread with Butter
• Marinated Anchovies with Oranges, Fennel, and Olives
• Shaved Benton's Country Ham with Grilled Sourdough Bread, Roasted Figs, and Balsamic Reduction
• Watermelon Salad with Watermelon, Pickled Watermelon Rind, Arugula, Serrano Vinaigrette, and Feta
• Field Pea Soup with Field Peas, Collard Greens, Chive Cream, Country Ham Hocks
• CAB Eye of Rib Eye with Lyonnaise Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Rosemary Jus, and Arugula
• Triple Tail Bass with Red Mule Grits, Collard Greens, Pot Liquor Jus, and Pickled Okra and Cucumber Salad
• Chocolate Nemesis Cake with Roasted Peanuts, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Brûléed Bananas

And then I died from complete and utter satisfaction.

And we didn't take any pictures of the food. Shoot.

It was just a perfect day and a lovely end to a lovely summer. Husband of mine, you are a peach:

Hey, Second Year

If he has to go back to school, at least he looks handsome doing it:

The main intent of this post is to show the difference between Fletcher on the first day of second year and the first day of first year:

Looking at these side by side just hurts my heart. Where does the time go?

PS Don't you love Hugh's new bag? This was his happy end-of-research prize.

And Just Like That...

...summer is over at the White Hot household.

Hugh is back to school today and I am blue. We'll be back in the swing of it in no time, but it's hard to come back to reality after such a lovely three months of having him around all the time.

I'll be back later with the weekly meal plan, a birthday recap, and some other fun posts. For now, I'm going to do a little bit of pouting.

Fletcher misses him already:

Cheese!

A quick stop in from the birthday/end of summer celebration to show off one of my favorite birthday gifts. My Momma spoils me so.

These are the first three photos taken (on auto, for the moment):

I love my sweet boys. And I'm hooked on this new camera!

Well, Hello There, Late Twenties.

Today I am twenty-seven.

I've never been one to stress about aging. I'm more in the camp of maximizing the celebration. To me birthdays are champagne, party dresses, and cake with candles. What's better than that?

Five!

I have a feeling this year will be a good one. I'll be back next week with a recap and some plans for the the twelve months ahead.

In the meantime, a little bird told me my sweet Hugh baked me a delicious birthday cake. I'll have a piece for you!

Happy Week!

It is a happy week at the White Hot Household.

Hugh finished his summer research today and we are both off for the rest of the week.

These next four days promise to be a delight because: a) school starts on Monday so we are making the most out of the minutes together and b) Friday is my birthday!

I love my birthday. It is in my top four days of the year (along with Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Hugh's Birthday). Hugh always makes sure I feel like the world's most loved girl on August sixth, so I can't wait.

Posting might be light, but I'll be back next week with plenty of posts and free time on my hands.

Hope you're week is happy too!

PS I received my first birthday present on Monday. M Cubed gave me a blown-up, framed copy of this photo (before they fed me delicious tacos for dinner):

It was the perfect gift because I love that face, I love this photo, and I have a similar framed photo of Henry Parker so now they're like a matched pair. I love those friends of mine; they spoil me so.