Happy Birthday to Me!

I am one lucky lady!  Once again Paul planned a day of surprise, birthday fun for us to experience together.  We started off with a breakfast feast made by Paul (with a little help from Nellie, since she provided the eggs!).  You can't see it, but there is a delicious marinated and roasted portobello mushroom underneath that egg and a layer of roasted sweet potatoes, too.

Next, we moved on to present opening, which consisted of a whole slew of things Paul has been noting throughout the year.  With his gifts to me, he aimed to make things a bit easier for me on many fronts from crafting to cooking to chicken keeping to daily life.  Each one of these gifts expressed to me how much he pays attention year round and how hard he works to make this a special day for me.

Then, it was time to leave the house.  Since the day's activities were a surprise to me, I received a small amount of instruction about what to bring and how to dress so that I would be comfortable. The instructions this year were to dress in layers so I would be warm outside yet comfortable inside, too.  I was also told to pack my insulated thermos.

Our first stop explained the thermos: hot chocolate from Peace Coffee. I was instructed to seal up my thermos since I would want it to be warm later.

I soon found out why I dressed warmly, when we arrived at Bunker Hills Stable.

As first I thought we were going on a sleigh ride, since I saw several sleighs hitched up for hay rides, complete with bonfires nearby and wool blankets.

But then Paul shared with me that he had arranged for us to have a private trail ride.  A horseback ride through the snowy woods on an unseasonably warm winter day! The 30 degree F weather made an hour in the woods a pleasure.

I rode on Dixie and Paul was on Clark.  Clark is a draft horse so he knows commands through single rein cues.  Dixie, well she knows regular commands but just wasn't in the mood to follow them!  She tried to brush me off her back at just about every opportunity she found!

Dixie may have gotten unauthorized snacks but I stayed on her back for the full ride!  I will consider that a draw. During our time on the trail, we spotted a deer and a hawk amidst the wide variety of trees that were showing off their bare branches.

Then it came time to drink that warm hot chocolate and enjoy a picnic in the car before the nice lady in Paul's phone told us how to get to the next destination. The hot chocolate was really satisfying!

Now here is where I admit that I was a little surprised Paul even knew about this thing we did next much less planned it for us! Have you heard of those places where you can go and make a painting while you drink a glass of wine? Yeah, he picked that for us! I was skeptical of the choice, but went with it and it turned out to be fun!

Paint is not my medium, so I appreciated that the instructor walked us through each step of the painting.  I also learned that Paul used to paint a lot before I met him!

I enjoyed having a glass of wine, which is a rarity for me these days, and I enjoyed partaking of a different craft/art.  I don't think I will be adding painting to my list of crafts I dabble in, but it is always fun to try something new and different.

To finish off the day of celebration, we had a delicious dinner at Barbette.  The location was again chosen by Paul's method of providing me with descriptions of entrees for a handful of restaurants and making a reservation at whichever place I chose. So far the method is working fantastically!

Barbette has previously received awards for being the best local restaurant for romance which makes for great ambiance but not such great photographs.  So, let's just wrap up with this one last one of Paul, the birthday planner extraordinaire!

Thank you, Paul, for being a loving and thoughtful partner on this day and all of the other days, too.