Erica turns 31!
May 11, 2018

We ended up celebrating Erica's 31st birthday on May 1st this year. She and Andrew never took a honeymoon trip last April 30th at the time of their wedding. Instead they planned a huge European trip to multiple countries (primarily Scotland and Italy) at the time of their 1 year anniversary. And so we ended up celebrating 10 days early since she was going to be out of the country during her birthday!
(I can't wait to post those pictures, but then, that's another whole story.)

Michelle drove in from Austin and we all met at my house. Cynthia arrived with multiple bottles of alcohol & made several drinks before we left and everyone was feeling pretty good well before we got to the restaurant.

We took the celebration to StoneWerks Big Rock Grille (see link) on Culebra and 1604 in San Antonio. It was a little upscale and we were in a partying mood. More drinks were ordered for everyone and we had a great time eating and toasting. Unfortunately, very few pictures were taken at the restaurant -- a little unusual for my girls -- but you'll just have to take my word for it --- Super meal, drinks and service!

Then we headed home as is our usual modus operandi to sing "Happy Birthday" and shower her with presents! The cake was an Italian Creme cake from Central Market. It was really rich and yummy.

Jordan handed out the presents with her usual witty, sarcastic comments (her present was given "to the petty one from the pretty one"). Erica had a great time opening one present after the next. They mostly consisted of make-up, clothes, things for her upcoming trip, more make-up and, not one, but two pink Nike hats (Cynthia and I got her almost exactly the same one)!

This birthday seemed to mark another threshold in my life. Erica moved back home with me from Fort Worth to begin her PA program last year. She and Andrew made the best of a long-distance relationship during the first year of their marriage, but now, Andrew is planning to do his Anesthesia residency at the University Health Science Center here in San Antonio and Erica is getting ready to go into her second year of Physician's Assistant schooling. Because they will now be together in the same city, Erica is moving out and both she and Andrew have closed on a beautiful house, their first house, about 15 minutes from my house. So I am losing my roommate. (Darn it, now I have to start taking out the trash again!)

But in the end, I know how the life cycle goes and I am happy that she and her husband are moving on with the next phase of their lives. I wish them all the best!