Liquor, ladies, and lunch

Today was my Friday off from work so I had an ambitious to-do list, including grocery shopping and lab work, before still heading up the hill for a birthday lunch at noon. A month or so ago a bunch of us work gals got together at Ikkyu (world's best Japanese restaurant in P-town) for a birthday party and ordered half of the sushi rolls on the menu. Today we ordered the second half.

We were celebrating our Town Clerk, Joanna's, birthday so we all came bearing gifts.

Four of us pooled our resources together and each bought Joanna a bottle of red wine and a piece of jewelry which then Dina (Joanna's office co-worker) arranged beautifully in a gift basket. I think it's so much more fun to get a big basket full of numerous goodies than a bunch of separate smaller gifts. She LOVED the multi-strand silver and turquoise necklace I got her and immediately swapped it out for the one she was wearing (which was a previous year's birthday gift from me!). And to finish off our luncheon was a dessert of sliced, tempura fried banana slices covered in a peanut butter sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. To.Die.For.

I think this whole booze and baubles gift basket idea would make any of the ladies in our group happy as a birthday gift. We might need to repeat this idea next month for Kari and Sheila....