happy anniversary.

today marks our 3rd wedding anniversary. unbelievable how fast time flies.

in the 3 years, we've grow together so much. our relationship continues to mature, and our love continues to grow everyday. though since the beginning of our dating relationship, D has been traveling almost every week, we've found our balance and have learned how to cherish the time we spend together.

year 2 in paris, on top of the arc de triomphe.

the year, 10/6 fell on a tuesday, but D worked his magic to stay home all week with me. we celebrated very low-keyed, with a dinner at l'artusi, followed by a bottle of ruinart blanc de blanc champagne at home. the champagne brought back memories of when we visited the champagne house in reims last year during our anniversary trip. 

and as always, every year, we have a tradition of watching our wedding video and reliving the magical moments that took place in the kims' backyard!

hbd and toro.

next monday is my best friend's 31st birthday. this time around, it would be a small birthday celebration for her. last year, for her 30th birthday, she had a party on a barge on the hudson river, followed by drinks and eats at a bar in noho.

i think ever since we passed our 30th birthday, we have decided that it's more meaningful to spend quality time with people we love, instead of having a big, huge party. so, i made the 4 of us reservations at toro, a spanish tapas restaurant which was gaining popularity in the meatpacking district.

my rose sangria at the bar. refreshing!

when i arrived around 6:15pm, the place was pretty quiet for a friday night. i had the rose sangria at the bar and awaited for their arrival. we each had a few cocktails, and proceeded with trying to narrow down on what to order, because everything looked so good. the one thing on the menu which i would have love to have was the erizos con caviar - a perfect spoonful of cavier, sea urchin, and quail egg with iberico jamon. each spoon was $22, and we decided to order more variety of dishes instead of splurging it on one spoon. i promised myself that i would go back there just to try out that spoonful of heaven.

paella langostino, with lobster and black truffle.

erizos con caviar - what it would have looked like if we ordered it!

conversations during dinner were all over the place, from recapping their trip to iceland, sweden, and norway, to work, to family, to just about anything. nothing was off topic!

make a wish!

for dessert, they had daily specials, and i didn't hesitate to order all three for Nat's birthday. the best was probably the warm churros with chocolate dipping sauce, and the chocolate mousse, which was so light, yet rich.

later on, because we were so close to the highline, and both guys have never walked it, we took a nice night stroll and ended at trestle for a nightcap before going home.

it was a perfect night with perfect friends. 

money does buy happiness.

eating is one of my favorite activities. eating dessert makes the activity so much more enjoyable, if it's even possible. though in effort to try to limit my sugar intake, i don't usually have dessert, especially after lunch. however, it was almost impossible to pass on anything that is labeled with "brown", "butter", and "salt". sweet and savory.

the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

the good batch was sold at dig inn. i figured that if i'm having a pretty healthy lunch, it won't hurt to pick up these thick shortbread cookies. the sea salt on top made it perfect. and i couldn't stop eating after just one; i had to finish the other cookie as well. maybe one day i'll get inspired to remake them at home. but why suffer myself through the foreseen disappointment when my cookies don't come out as tasty? i'll just spend another four dollars to buy myself guaranteed happiness!

see, money does buy happiness.*


*this statement is not guaranteed under every situation. however, in my case, it does.