Paul's Birthday in 3 Parts: Part 1

Paul got a shout out on his birthday, but I haven't posted about what we did to welcome in his 33rd year. This year Paul's birthday is being celebrated over nearly a month, so as of when I write this post, we still aren't done yet!

The celebration started on the night before his birthday. Since he took the day of his birthday off from work, I figured he would want to start celebrating ASAP. When I came home from the gym, I came bearing a bottle of bourbon whisky. He enjoyed it with a pipe in the backyard. All that was missing was a smoking jacket.

On Paul's actual birthday, we got dressed up for a dinner out. We tried to capture a picture, but we had a hard time of it. It was hot and humid and we were a bit riled up. This was probably the best one we got.

We had dinner at Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul. The restaurant is across the street from where the St. Paul Farmers' Market is held, which we still have not gone to! I do want to make it there sometime soon. We also got to see the termination of where the new central corridor lightrail line will be. Downtown St. Paul is such uncharted territory for me.

Back to dinner...I chose Heartland because of their multi-course dinner option: Flora for me and Fauna for Paul. We had eaten at Heartland before they reopened in their new spot. I had really liked it then, so my expectations were high. Unfortunately, I thought the food was just ok. The amuse bouche and the dessert were the highlights but the salad was boring and the entree was just fine. More importantly, though, Paul was pleased with his meal. Watching Paul savor a good meal is great fun for me, too.

Heartland's new space is wonderful and I enjoyed checking out the farm direct market they have on site. Seeing the price tags on the canned goods was exciting: $10 for a jar of strawberry rhubarb jam! If I were to measure my wealth in terms of jars of jam, I would be sitting pretty high on the hog!

Part of Paul's birthday gift was a boost of funds to start work on his man cave. Actually, he was posed with the option of a flight to Boston or funds for the man cave. It took him all of 1 second to decide! I think he relishes his man cave as much as I treasure my craft room. A room of one's own is a wonderful luxury to have. Usually it takes him a while to redeem his birthday gifts, but for this one, he started planning that very same night!

Stay tuned for Part 2!