This week I turned twenty-six.  Truth be told, I expected to feel no different – but strangely, I DO feel different.  But only in a good way…

My week was really great.  I got Handwritten notes…

I got to lounge on the couch and catch up on watching the Kardashians…

Zach even let me wear his clothes to the gym.  I wear his Notorious BIG and Dr. Dre’s the Chronic tee-shirts when I work out, it gives me street cred at the gym…also, it makes me feel more powerful when I do weights.  I am serious.

I got to go out with some of my college/design friends.  We went to Vivace.  I have been wanting to go there for weeks, and conned my friends into going with me.  It was as great as I had built it up in my head and heart.  [For those of you who like Cucina Toscana…it was created by the same owner.]

Surprisingly, this was the best photo we got the entire night:

I got to go out with some friends from my ward and neighborhood to PF Changs – we literally stayed until they had to politely invite us to leave.  We also were very loud.  98% my fault…

I even got an early surprise gift from my sister-in-law, nieces, and nephew.  The card reads “Happy Birday Katie”.  I am saving it forever.

Also, I had to document this radical birthday card from my one and only…cats and basketball.  What more could a girl ask for?

Friday after work Zach picked me up and we drove straight to the airport.  We were off to Las Vegas and warmer temperatures for the weekend!  It was planned really last minute – I was supposed to go to New York for work, then Los Angeles for work, then Zach and I were going to St. George for the weekend, and then finally settled on Las Vegas.  It’s a looooong story.

We touched down in Vegas at 6:30 pm and went straight to our hotel to check in.  We stayed at the Vdara this go around.  It was our first time, but definitely won’t be our last.  We booked the room with a killer deal on Expedia and were totally shocked at how nice the accomodations were – our room even came with a kitchenette [but more on that later].

We changed our clothes and were off to dinner at the Wynn.

At a friend’s recommendation, we tried the Wynn Buffet.  Zach was elated with the plethora of meat and I stayed in the dessert area for the majority of the time.

After our meal we went to the casino:  to win big at the WAR table.  Yes, I am serious.

Zach and his friends love this game and I quickly learned to love it as well…until I was forced to retire with only a $5 chip left.

We spent the rest of the night playing Blackjack, getting more dessert, and relaxing in our hotel.

The next morning we got breakfast at the hotel’s smoothie bar and then set off to do some birthday shopping.

We started at Fashion Show Mall and made our way over to the Forum Shops at Caesar’s.

The weather was perfect.

Zach entertained himself while walking store to store by taking pictures of me next to every 49ers fan possible.

Also, we spotted Ice-T and Coco in front of Hugo Boss.  Zach yelled/rapped as he continued through the mall.  Our last stop was at the Nike Store: where we geared up for the big game the following day.

Later that night we had dinner at Noodles at the Bellagio.  It’s a long story, but one of Zach’s clients that he charters private flights for always requests this food on the plane when he travels home from Vegas.  So we figured we would try it out and were not disappointed.

Immediately after our dinner Zach started prepping for the Super Bowl.  After shopping through the Bellagio Shops we walked over to Walgreens to get some supplies.

The entire weekend we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do the for the game – we looked into going to a Sports Book, restaurants, and other options – but Zach decided he wanted to stay at our hotel for the game.  We had the kitchenette anyway, so why not put it to good use?  So we stocked up on soda, ice cream, chips and salsa, and some other snacks.

The next morning we decided to hit the pool.  There was hardly anyone else out there – seems like people were scared off by 65 degrees?

After our pool session we went straight to the Bellagio for breakfast.  Yes, in our swim gear – still a little soggy.  We had deep dish pancakes.

Since we decided to stay in the room for the big game we had to purchase it for another night.  Zach decided he would go all out.  He started with rearranging all the furniture in our room to have a “better Super Bowl experience”.

Then, in the middle of the game he ordered us room service.  For those who know Zach well, you would understand that this was a huge splurge for him.  But, it was a special occasion after all…and he wanted something amazing to eat when we were to “celebrate the victory”.

The entire game was a roller coaster – ever since the very first play.  When we started to come back in the last half, there was a lot of celebrating.

 But inevitably, I guess it’s true when they say “you can’t win them all”.  We are confident that the Niners will be back in the Superbowl in the near future, but until then…we drowned our sorrows in the food that was delivered.  Including the molten chocolate cake.

Then it was off to the airport.  We weren’t the only disappointed fans.  People everywhere adorned Gore, Willis, and Kaepernick jerseys and were hanging their heads a little lower.

I feel really lucky.  Blessed to have my husband, family, and friends.  That’s the best part of having a birthday, I think.  Being reminded of the people in your life that care about you really is the best gift.