Jason is a pretty fantastic man and as such he deserves to have a super fantastic birthday celebration so I always aim to make his special day as memorable as possible.

This year we both took work off on his birthday so we could spend a nice relaxing day together. We slept in and I made him Upside-Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans for breakfast, which was pretty good but next time I make it I’m going to alter the recipe a tad.

After our leisurely morning we caught a matinee of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and then went to a sushi place in Salt Lake City called Takashi for dinner. This restaurant is consistently rated as one of the best in the city and I now see why. Yum. They serve a lot of unique fusion style rolls there that are loaded with spice and flavor. The best roll I tried was a vegetarian one called the Shiva; it was packed with jalapenos, shishito peppers, avocados, and cilantro and then dipped in a yuzu balsamic sauce. Try to contain your drool; I may not be able to contain mine.

The following day Jason’s birthday may have technically been over but the partying continued. I planned a little birthday outing with our friends in the park. I dubbed this event “La Fiesta de Jason” and ordered Mexican catering from Café Rio to feed the partiers: salad with creamy tomatillo dressing, fresh chips and salsa, pork enchiladas, black beans, lime cilantro rice, key lime pie, and tres leches cake. Muy delicioso! We ate a lot and chatted while we gobbled even more. No fiesta is complete without a piñata so after dinner we hung one from the playground monkey bars and let the kids go at it. After the piñata was successfully torn down and disemboweled, the adults gathered at the net for a couple games of volleyball. We played until it was too dark to see and then sang happy birthday to Jason so he could blow out the candles on his key lime birthday pie. It was a pleasant summer evening spent with great company and more food than you could shake a stick at. I must admit that when it comes to party planning I do alright for myself.

Although Jason, as always, had a bigger deal made out of his birthday than most people ever do, I’m not sure the festivities adequately paid homage to such a spectacular husband and friend…but I did also buy him an iPad so that should help make up some of the difference.