Happy Bup-day!

Yesterday was the Bup's 26th birthday.

We've been celebrating since Friday and the fun won't stop until at least tomorrow. Birthdays are special to me and I've convinced him that they should be special for everyone in our home. He's taking this to the extreme, and that makes me so happy. Everyone deserves to celebrate life!

We headed to Pittsburgh on Friday for my cousin Gina's wedding. We got there just in time for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Dinner was held at the LeMont which is at the top of the incline. We were in a private room with a stunning view of the city. It was a super fancy meal, served to us by a very attentive waitstaff. We requested the vegetarian meal and were pleasantly surprised with a Vegetable Strudel. It looked like a wrap, cut in half and artfully placed over mashed potatoes and green beans. The wrapper was a wonton wrapper and it was stuffed with sauteed veggies. The chef must have enjoyed experimenting, and it was delicious.

On Saturday, we attended the wedding. I was a bridesmaid, so I did my hair and nails and headed to my aunt & uncle's house to get ready and take before wedding photos.

The wedding was beautiful. They had a sunny day and it was full of brightly colored flowers. We took pictures after the ceremony at Monroeville Park where they have a gazebo and big grassy areas for photos.

The beautiful bride and her new groom! They were both so happy and it really showed.

Sunday morning started off slowly as we got up and packed the car to head downtown to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. We got there too early, so we stopped at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's for special groceries. Plllllllllease build me both of these within 30 minutes of my house. I can't stop asking!

The dinosaurs were obviously verrrrrry scary.

It was fun wandering around and seeing the skeletons and then also the Hall of Botany.

We stopped for lunch across the street at the Union Grill before heading into the Muesum of Art. We split this Hummus Extravaganza, which was fantastic. I'm going to have to recreate it at home. Pita wedges, hummus, kalamata olives, feta, chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and roasted red peppers. The flavors just burst on our tongues.

The hummus platter was so huge I was happy we'd decided to split the Six Grain Veggie Melt with waffle fries. The waittress helped us decide that this would be plenty of food and she was right! The sandwich was packed full of hummus, roasted red pepper, spinach, baked eggplant and provolone cheese.

Both of us liked looking at the sculptures, but this was my favorite!

We had some deep conversations about abstract and modern art, but spent a lot of time checking out the classics like Monet, too. Lots of brain work before a quick visit with my college roomie, Alex, and then a long 4 hour drive home.

Both of us enjoyed having some days away. Tonight I'm making him birthday cupcakes to continue the celebrations!