Easter weekend...

What a great weekend! I was SO sad to wake up this morning and realize that it's time to go back to work and school. :(

On Friday, Ryan's brother Luke, and cousin Jessica came and stayed with us. There was a big Neilson family Easter party planned for Saturday so they came into town the day before. We met up with Ryan's parents (who also came into town early for the party) at the Crab Cooker in Newport Beach for my birthday dinner (my birthday is on tax day...the 15th). We had a great dinner and then walked to the pier and watched the sun set.

Oh, you know how when you go to a restaurant and tell the waiter it's someone's birthday, often times they'll bring a piece of cake or some sort of dessert with a candle and sing to you? Well, at the Crab Cooker, they brought a piece of smoked tuna with a side of tarter sauce...and the candle was sticking out of the tarter sauce. It was the most INTERESTING birthday treat I've ever received at a restaurant. It probably goes without saying, but I didn't even try a bite.

On Saturday, we had our Easter celebration with the Neilson family. There were SO many people there...I think I heard that there were about 70. It was a lot of fun to see all of the family members and it was especially fun to watch the little ones hunt for eggs at the park. We had some great food...you know the traditional Easter dinner which consists of ham, rolls, potatoes, and yummy desserts.

On Sunday, we got to celebrate Easter with my family. It was a much smaller crowd...12 people. AND, we decided to forgo the traditional ham dinner (Ryan was SO pleased) and have Cafe Rio salads. If you're from Utah, you'll probably know what they are... or at least what Cafe Rio is. My cousin Alyssa has altered the recipe a little and it was DELICIOUS!

We were also celebrating my grandpa's birthday, so we had German Chocolate cake (a family favorite), cookies, and fresh strawberries for dessert. It was really a great night and I really enjoyed catching up with the family.

Now it's back to work and school. I have 2 exams this week and 1 next week so I better get busy studying!

Hope you all had a great weekend.