Hi friends! 
So my birthday isn’t actually until this Friday (I’ll be the big 2-9 … yikes!), but this past weekend, Brandon and I had a few days of pre-celebration.
Up first …
… a Saturday morning hike at Lake Lanier!
This gorgeous location is only about a 10-minute drive from our house, and yet we hadn’t visited it until just recently.
We had a great time exploring the hiking trails, skipping rocks on the lake (no shocker … Brandon was a great rock-skipper, while I was not. 
), and checking out the beautiful scenery.
And speaking of Saturday … let’s talk about my Saturday eats.
Check out Jenn’s blog for details about WIAW!
Breakfast:
This has been my go-to breakfast recently. A bowl of cereal with some 1% milk, and I’m a happy lady!
Snack:
Lunch:
This lunch was a throwback to childhood! Grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup. Yum!
Dinner:
I made my BBQ chicken again, but this time, we actually had propane so we were able to cook the chicken on the grill!
Cooking it on the grill was even better than in the oven, because the skin got nice and crispy and the chicken had a great smoky flavor.
But I seriously love that BBQ sauce. I think I could bathe in it.
(OK, not really … that would just be gross.)
I also ate a ton of chips with fresh salsa throughout the day, but I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face and watching college football.
——–
On Sunday, Brandon and I drove down to Atlanta in the morning for church, as usual. Then in the afternoon, we braved the crowds at IKEA to find ourselves a new desk.
(I’ll eventually show pictures, but it will probably take weeks for us to take the time to put the silly thing together!)
That evening, we had reservations to try a new (to us) restaurant.
Two Urban Licks is a funky, midtown restaurant with some really great reviews.
The restaurant is located in an old warehouse building with high ceilings and an open kitchen placed right smack in the middle of the room.
The one “con” of the restaurant is that because they have a fire pit in the middle of the open kitchen, you leave smelling of smoke.
But it’s a small price to pay for the awesome food we were served!
First up, warm and crusty ciabatta bread, served with a mixture of chili oil and balsamic vinegar.
For an appetizer, Brandon and I shared the Empanadas, which were filled with smoked brisket and topped with a garlic aioli, pico de gallo, and feta cheese.
I picked off the feta because I’m not a fan, but the Empanadas were incredibly flavorful and delicious!
For dinner, Brandon chose the Bistro Steak …
… which was served with herb whipped potatoes, roasted peppers, yellow corn, and a chimichurri sauce.
For my dinner, I chose the Bronzed Scallops …
… which were served with gouda grits, pico de gallo, and a smoked tomato broth.
I always love scallops, and these ones did not disappoint. I also loved the pairing of the heavy gouda grits with the light tomato broth!
And of course, since we were celebrating my birthday, we had to get dessert!
We chose the peach bread pudding with a caramel swirl ice cream. I absolutely loved it, but it could have used even more peach chunks in it. Regardless, the warm bread pudding with the cold ice cream was delicious!
Sunday night, we used some of our hotel points to stay at a hotel downtown. We slept in on Monday morning, before eventually waking up and walking to a local Dunkin’ Donuts.
Ice cold milk and a crème-filled Long John, served in my plush hotel room bed? Happy Birthday to me!
Question for ya …
What did you do over the long weekend?
Best thing you’ve eaten this week?
Would you have gone for the steak or the scallops?
Love the birthday eats and happy belated birthday! No good birthday is complete without dessert
Danielle recently posted..What I Ate Wednesday!
Happy early birthday!! Steak and scallops are the hardest thing for me to choose from so I typically do surf and turf if it’s an option!
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie recently posted..Labor Day Weekend Recap (and Roasted Chickpeas)
Happy early birthday!! Looks like you started the celebration off right
Kat recently posted..WIAW–Clinging to summer
Did I really give you grilled cheese and tomatoe soup as a child? Why don’t I remember this? I do, however, remember the creme filled Longjohns!!! At the local IGA when you were a baby and at the local bakery on your way to daycare as a toddler and preschooler. Yum!
Happy Birthday Friday!!! Enjoy your day.
Love,
Mom
What a great early birthday meal! I can’t get over how amazing those scallops look!!! I have been craving them all day haha.
Jessie recently posted..15 Questions & Review #2
Happy pre-birthday! Love Two, one of our favorite restaurants in town! If you like salmon, you should definitely get the salmon chips as an app next time – they make their own chips & they are delicious!!
We heard that those were their most popular appetizer … for some reason, I wasn’t in the mood that night, but we’ll definitely try them next time!!
What a great pre-birthday! That steak looks delicious. The great thing about turning 29 is if you don’t want to be 30 next year you can be 29 all over again
I like that idea, Lauren!
Ohhh Happy birthday! I love Ikea…I think it’s basically a women’s toy r us. Lol.
Haha very, true!!
Looks perfect! And great choice on the chocolate long-john…my favorite!
Long-johns are my favorite, too! I used to always get one as a kid!
Happy almost birthday! Those are beautiful pictures of the lake.
Thank you so much, Austin!
I can NEVER skip rocks. I totally suck at it. Those dinners look amazing. I am drooling over the steak. I’ve been 29 for like 5 years now, its not so bad.
Cinnamon @ eatpraytri recently posted..updates, yo!
Hahaha you are so funny! I think I’m planning on sticking at 29, too!
Fun! Glad you had a great start to your bday! I would’ve definitely chosen the steak w/o question. I adore scallops, but I like steak better!
Amber with Slim Pickin’s Kitchen recently posted..The Skinny On Me Week 20: Practically Paleo
How about steak AND scallops? Now that would be a great meal!!
Hi Kristen! I’m glad you had a great weekend, and I thought of you this weekend, but thought you’d be busy, so I didn’t call. I hope we can catch up sometime.. and let me just say how much I love that picture of you in the restaurant.. gorgeous!!!
Hi, friend! We definitely need to catch up soon. I’ll try to call you asap!
Happy birthday week! I had forgotten that you were a September baby too! All that food looks amazing – especially that dessert!!! I definitely would’ve gone for the scallops. Love you!
natalie @ southern fit foodie recently posted..August Foodie Penpal Reveal!!!
Love you, girl!!
Good for you guys! I’m glad you got to get away and enjoy some delicious eats and quality time with your hubby. I’m craving a donut now!
Ashley @ My Food ‘N’ Fitness Diaries recently posted..WIAW #50: First Trimester Eats
Sounds like your pre=birthday celebration is going great so far. Can’t wait to hear about the actual birthday weekend coming up! =)
amy @ fearless homemaker recently posted..apple, cheddar + bacon quesadillas
Weee birthdays are just the best, I try to celebrate them for a week or so before and after… have to make it last
I am glad you guys got to get away for a bit.. delicious eats too!
Tessa @ Amazing Asset recently posted..WIAW- “Bad” Habits
That sounds like the perfect pre-birthday celebration! I can’t even remember the last time I had a Long John, it looks good!
Emily @ Perfection Isn’t Happy recently posted..Wedding Recap: The Rehearsal
Ooo!! Empanada!! And the long john!! Yum! How fun!! What a fun early celebration!!
Corrie Anne recently posted..Boyd’s New Trick + If Your Pet Was A Different Animal….
This looks like a perfect long weekend to me. The lake near your house is amazing. Would love to have something like this near my home. In the restaurant I would have eaten the scallops..it looks delicious.
I hope you have a fantastic birthday tomorrow!!
holy cow those scallops look DELISH!
Andrea @ Andrea Out Loud recently posted..I’m Still Kickin
You hike looks absolutely gorgeous! Happy Birthday!! 29′s a great age….but 30′s even better
Thanks, Rebecca!!
Happy Birthday!
Elle @TheWay recently posted..Friday Vegetarian Potluck Link Up & Penne Florentine
Thank you, Elle!
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