A Chocolate Covered Birthday

There's way too much to write about from this weekend, so I'll just give you the highlights... I turned the big ol' 26 this past Saturday, and had a birthday weekend for the books. I already felt as though this month was like one big party, as it seems everyone's birthday is in August. Quentin celebrated his 30th, his friend Louis turned 29, Quentin's dad, my dad, grandma, aunts, uncle, and cousin all share their birthday month with me. Geez.
 

I've been unbelievably fortunate to have had some of the most memorable birthdays of my life these past few years. I spent my 24th birthday on a remote beach in Jamaica, with my dad, brother, one of my best friends from college, Peter-Jhon, and Quentin. I shared my 25th birthday with Quentin at our favorite sushi restaurant with some of our closest friends... and got a boatload(literally) of sushi. This year was sure to be a good one, for being in France is a great backdrop for a birthday no matter how big or how small.
 

The weekend started with Quentin's present for me... a trip to the grocery store to pick out any chocolate treats I wanted!! This boy sure knows the way to a girls heart.

I really tried not to get this much stuff(seriously!), but all I kept hearing from Quentin and his friend Jules was, "Oh, these are good. Ooh I love these. Yeah, those are delicious, get those." So, I am now the proud owner of a year's supply of chocolatey treats! Not that I'm complaining...

After the chocolate shopping spree, we went over to our friend Jules' place, to relax and start prepping for the party that night. I have to give a lot of credit and thanks to him for hosting us the whole weekend and making me some delicious birthday cookies!! Thanks Jules!

We made jerk chicken and beef, rice and peas cooked in coconut milk, a salad of tomatoes, peppers, celery and avocados, lots of bread, beer, and wine... and topped it all with my favorite part... Jules' chocolate chip cookies. We played card games late into the night while sipping on framboise and cassis liquor from 1980.

It was the perfect recipe for a great birthday: good food, lots of alcohol, and great friends. It didn't end there though, for me anyways. The next morning we walked to the market to get some fresh air, and some fruits and veggies so Jules could make us some healthy hangover smoothies.

Before leaving the market, we walked past a shop that had a mouthwatering display of quiches and pastries. I couldn't resist... I was hungry and they just looked so perfect. I bought myself a quiche provençale... a crispy tart filled with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, peppers, all mixed together with eggs and topped with a thick slice of tomato. It was calling my name.

We returned to a table full of coffee mugs and the handful of hungover party-goers who crashed at Jules' place that night. After downing a good 2 or 3 cups of coffee, we all took a walk through the nearby forest, so the boys could sweat out some alcohol while I videoed them playing hacky sack.

All in all, my birthday weekend was a quite eventful and super fun-filled weekend. Thanks Jules for hosting, thanks everyone for the gifts and for coming to the party, and thanks Quentin for the CHOCOLATE!