This post is sponsored by North Italian Farmhouse in Arcadia, a Fox Concept Restaurant.
So I just turned 30 and it was kind of a big deal…in my head. I don’t know how you spend your birthday but I tend to avoid them. The last real party I had was my quarter century bash. I felt this birthday should be celebrated in style, mommy style. In the midst of thinking about how to celebrate, I also felt a bit of angst. Was I ready to turn 30? I guess there wasn’t much I could do to stop it but what would it mean to be 30 and what was in store? I loved my 20’s, it was such an amazing time in my life. There was so much packed into such a short amount of time, how could any other decade in my life compete? I wasn’t sure how I felt about closing this chapter in my life.
We all experience our growth differently and for me it started when I hit 22. This light went on in my life and I began to realize that there were bigger forces at work in my life and around me. I started wanting to be a better person, I wanted to grow and learn – I wanted to find my passions and follow my dreams. I married, I had a child and I had so many blessings come true in my life. I’m not sure what 30 will mean or what new adventures will come to pass but the first day in my 30’s was pretty awesome.
I spent the day with family, being pampered with the perfect mani/pedi and ending the night with a dinner party courtesy of North Italian Farmhouse at Arcadia.
The most perfect way to end a special day by celebrating at North with some of my favorite people. The patio was lush with greens and the misters helped keep the space cool. Our server was kind and helpful and the food was delish. We started off with a bunch of appetizers – calamari, meatballs, fonduta (our friends had fun with that name) and zucca chips. The fonduta was a favorite off the bat, that cheesy goodness was perfect in every way. The zucca chips were light, the meatballs were moist and flavorful and I can eat their crispy calamari all day long
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Then we dug into the pizzas each one with a beautiful light crisp crust and topped with fresh ingredients. We tried the marghertia, funghi, patata, and Uncle Morte. The patata (pictured above) got quite a few oohs and ahhs for the perfectly cooked egg on top. The funghi was my favorite covered in different mushrooms but I have to say that Uncle Morte was a close favorite for me too. I appreciated the addition of pistachio nuts to the pizza. We were going to order entrees but honestly, we were all stuffed. There was not one piece of food left, how on earth were we going to eat dessert?
We made room. Plump donuts lay in custard and jars filled with salted caramel heaven sat before us. I heard one of my friend’s state, “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten! I’ll eat five more.” As he licked his spoon clean of the salted caramel dessert. That was the best thing I’ve ever eaten and it was the perfect way to end a truly spectacular meal. We didn’t want to leave because it was a great atmosphere for hanging out with friends but we decided to take the party to The Yard (also a Fox Restaurant) where we played games and laughed awhile more.
Everybody says that 30’s are the best and they are so amazing but I have a feeling they’ll be saying the same thing when I get to 40. I do know that I look forward to each day and not just for what’s in store for me but life with my husband, with kids, with my brothers and sisters, my sweet niece and all my amazing friends. So today I don’t feel sad and I’m not having a mid-life crisis, as I previously thought might happen. I am in fact so full of gratitude.
Thanks again to Fox Restaurants for providing the best birthday I’ve ever had at North Italian Farmhouse in Arcadia.
