25th Birthday in Style

This past weekend, I turned 25!

Wahoo!

I decided that I wanted to have a family birthday as my main shindig, so I invited my sister and brother-in-law from Oklahoma City and my parents to join Jason and I for a party in Tulsa.

Both of my sisters went to college in Tulsa and there are so many fun things to do and places to eat there, so many of my memories of celebrations have been in this town. It's also fairly easy for all of us (except for my sister and brother-in-law in North Carolina) to get to.

Anyway, we have our usual brunch spots and coffee shops, but this past weekend we tried out a few new places that I can highly recommend.

Valkyrie
This new bar downtown was our first stop on Saturday evening and it was probably one of my favorite bars ever! It was not too loud or rowdy, they played good music, the bartenders were very skilled, they had a nice selection of beers as well as cocktails, and they make their own tonic water and ginger beer!

How cool is that?

I had a Moscow Mule (which contained the homemade ginger beer) and was very tasty and refreshing.

Everyone in the group loved their 'tails and beers and it was such a nice atmosphere, full of antique furniture inside brick walls. (In the above right picture, we're showing off our boots: mom's to the left, mine in the middle and sister's on the right.)

We can't wait to come back here!

Juniper
I have been to Juniper once before last weekend and loved it, so I was excited to go back.

It is also located downtown and offers such a nice dining experience.

They've got a nice menu of meat and vegetables, most of them sourced locally, prepared in very unique and delicious ways. And they even offer weekly specials every week.

I ate from the weekly specials: minestrone soup that was chock full of yummy veggies to start.

For my entree, I had the special white chicken lasagna with balsamic salad. The lasagna was comfort food to a tee: warm, cheesy, rich and filled with squash and collared greens in addition to the most juicy, tender chicken pieces. Also, the balsamic dressing on the salad with a little sweet and a great counter to the savory pasta.

Other stops over the weekend included:
-Stonehorse Cafe for lunch
-Topeca for coffee and tea
-Lucky's for brunch
-Antoinette Baking Co. for amazing macaroons

All in all, it was such a fun time. I'm so blessed!