Saturday, May 24, 2014

BIRTHDAY RECAP 1 | DAILY LIFE

I know this is old news by now... but I can't stop thinking about posting about it. So I'm just going to. Hoorah!



My birthday falls every in the middle of April, the middle of spring, the middle of flowers poking up from the barren earth and birds coming back and the smell of rain drifting in the breeze. I might be biased, but I think it is the very best time of the year to have a birthday and to celebrate life.


First, Nate so lovingly made me GAPS-happy pancakes! (They are made out of almond flour, almond butter, eggs and honey. So. Good.)



I straightened my hair spontaneously :) It made me feel so girly!




Then we went to Arena's, my favorite floral shop in the world. Arena's is a European flower market, which means they display all their flowers and foliage out in big metal buckets, and you choose exactly what you want in your bouquet. It's such a romantic and creative experience. 

Nate treated me to my own custom bouquet, made of a pink ranunculus, thistles, pussy willow branches, a pink hyacinth, and craspedias (those little yellow flowers that look like balls floating in the air!) and some magnolia branches to prop up in our room (which you saw in this post). It was so beautiful and unique. Good job, hubby!! You chose well :)



Ranunculus!

Magnolia blooms!

Then we went to a great friend's house that he shares with two other families. It was wild! But we have come to love hanging out here, with all the busyness and wonderful people and tiny children running around (like in this photo, haha :). 


And we went for a walk there. I don't know what these plants are, but I love how they unfurl!



Afterwards, we took a nice break at Joe Bean, one of my favorite coffee shops in the area. 


Then we finished the night with two unique dishes at Good Luck: braised oxtail with tripe and pork belly.  Even though I work full-time at a meat market, I forgot that tripe is stomach lining. That fact didn't bother me as much as the odd iron aftertaste that I could not get over. Luckily, Nate finished that dish :) The pork belly was simply amazing... it's the cut of meat that bacon is made out of. However, this is uncured and unsmoked, so it tastes really fatty and flavorful, but not quite like bacon. I can't wait to make my own!


This was the only picture we could make out there because it was sooo dark!

It was a wonderful, wonderful birthday. I am so grateful for the people who made it that way- Nate, who gave so much to me, in gifts, smiles, and love... and to my family and friends who called and wrote to me to tell me how much I'm loved. I have such a wonderful and happy existence, and I thank God for every day He brings to me.

P.S. Nate also gave me three matching blue enamel mugs! With lids!
P.P.S. I still have MORE photos from my birthday to share... crazy! Hence why there are two parts :)

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