Well, it’s back to the grind, friends.  I hope you all had nice little weekends! I am kind of exhausted today, as per usual for a Monday.  I attended my lovely sister-in-law’s shower yesterday, and foolishly drank some coffee with my cake a little too late in the day and am now paying the price.  But can we, for one second, talk about this cake.

Those leaves?  Real gold. I meannnn…

These people made it.  And not only was it adorable, but it was freaking delicious.  I’m not usually a big sweets/cake person, but this beauty had a cappuccino filling so, um, exactly.  So if you’re in Central PA and need a fabulous cake for something, I can definitely recommend them.

Speaking of local things… the ridiculously adorable Lauren from Say What You Need To Say set up an awesome dinner for local PA bloggers this weekend, which I attended.  I will admit that I was pretty nervous… Even though most people think I am really comfortable in social/networking situations, I always get really anxious about meeting new people.  I can’t explain it, but after a small glass of wine, I was feeling a little more at ease and headed over to Fusion Fire for a phenomenal dinner and some QT with a great group of people.

In attendance were:
Lauren from Say What You Need to Say
Sara from SaraBozich.com (Sara and I had emailed/tweeted back and forth a few times prior, so I was really excited to finally meet her, and I think we might be BFFs already.)
Erica from 4 The Sake of Cake
Danielle from It’s A Harley Life
Karen from Health in Real Life
Sarah & Evan who own Nuts About Granola  (also they brought samples. I love them.)

(Photo via Lauren)

As for the dinner, Lauren arranged for a prefixed menu, taking off the pressure of dining at a new restaurant.  And since it was BYOB, we brought our own wine and beer, which is always a big plus in my book.  We met the very sweet owners, who did an amazing job, and every single thing they brought out was absolutely wonderful.   But these were my faves:

Spicy Rock Shrimp Tempura (Crunchy, spicy, insanely addictive.)

Tropical Sushi Roll (Shrimp, mango, avocado, spicy tuna, and toasted coconut. SAY. WORD.)

Tofu Pad Thai (Pad Thai.  Delicious. The end.)

Overall, it was such a great time, and I give Lauren tons of credit for putting it all together.  And even though I was a little scared-y pants, I’m so glad I went.  I met some awesome new people and got to try a fantastic restaurant, of which I will be back to again, probably very soon.

(Photo via Lauren)

By the way, thanks for all the feedback on the new shoes!  You guys are the bestest. I actually ended up ordering both the Nike Pegasus and the Asics Gel Lytes, and will see which I like better once they get here.

Hope you all have a great Monday, hopefully I can make it to RPM class tonight to burn of some of the delicious food I inhaled at the shower yesterday.  Toodles!

OH- and Happy Birthday today to my little bro, Jared.  Love you! xo