This past weekend is not one I’ll soon forget. It was my birthday weekend. I’m always ambivalent about my birthday until it arrives. I tell myself I don’t need or expect fanfare, but then a little thoughtful attention is always warmly received and welcome. It’s good for the heart and soul to be celebrated at least once a year. My heart and soul are happy.
Mike had a little surprise planned for me on Friday night. I’m not all that keen on surprises, but I do appreciate when my loved ones want to do something special for me so I resisted every urge to ply him with endless questions. I also pretty much decided not to sleuth on the Internet in an effort to bust his secret plan. I think my cooperation even surprised my husband.
He told me we had a 90 minute drive. I figured we’d end up at a nice restaurant maybe on a lake. When I got in the car, he had Rickie Lee Jones radio on satellite and for a good hour I took that as a clue. The Duchess of Coolsville in concert would qualify as a stellar birthday surprise. As we drove further and further into rural Wisconsin, I dashed that thought because it didn’t seem plausible.
It became clear at some point that we were headed to Green Lake, which is home to the Heidel House and several restaurants. We stopped at a local bar in town to use the facilities and have a drink. That seemed odd because we were just blocks away from the Heidel House. I decided that Green Lake is a hip little resort town and RLJ could most certainly be playing for this crowd and so I blurted it out and it was true. Of course, I got teary eyed. I had a perma-grin the rest of the night. My guy is a keeper.
She played at an opera house to a crowd of about 150. It was intimate and perfect and I loved every minute of her performance. She sang 14 songs from 5 albums by my count, 3 of them covers. While she didn’t perform my favorites, I loved her choices and the arrangement. She played one set and didn’t come out for an encore. It didn’t feel right to hoot and holler for one either as I almost felt like a lucky guest in her private company. The night was too close to make demands.
She played at an opera house to a crowd of about 150. It was intimate and perfect and I loved every minute of her performance. She sang 14 songs from 5 albums by my count, 3 of them covers. While she didn’t perform my favorites, I loved her choices and the arrangement. She played one set and didn’t come out for an encore. It didn’t feel right to hoot and holler for one either as I almost felt like a lucky guest in her private company. The night was too close to make demands.
Saturday we headed up to Windmill Beach for a small gathering on the beach.We swam in the refreshing lake, sipped sangria, grilled burgers and enjoyed fireworks both in the sky and on my cupcakes! We weren’t sure we were going to spend the night, but we packed a bag just in case because I knew that we wouldn’t want to leave. We didn’t. We stayed all day Sunday despite the fact that I was planning on attending mass at Irish Fest Sunday morning...a mass I look forward to all year. I was up at 7 o’clock, but not feeling compelled to leave the peace and solitude for noise and crowds. I am not regretting my decision. We came home Sunday night sandy, spent and soul-sated.
I was kind of stoked that the solar eclipse was happening on my birthday, but we didn’t have glasses and I’m not all too sure that I would have stared at the sun even with them. It still didn’t seem all that smart to me, but it was exciting. The Leo that I am was convinced that all the hoopla was in my honor, or at the very least the fact that this rare occurrence coincided with my birthday was some sort of statement about me...special.
My little family of four celebrated with presents and dinner out Monday night. The truth is that I didn’t need any more revery, but I didn’t feel like cooking. And I always need the cards the kids make because they make the day. Teddy hailed me for being his life enthusiast and Lily called me out as the best listener and cook. They picked out lovely things from Aveda and Sur La Table, two of my favorite stores. I felt spoiled and loved. I picked Pizza Man only because I wanted their escargot. They make it best, and the Malbec I ordered perfectly paired with the snails. Lily enjoyed her fettuccine alfredo and the boys their pizzas. Ted ordered and finished a pie topped with lamb sausage and aged cheddar. Dare I say my boy is becoming a foodie. We all enjoyed the rooftop deck on the perfect night. We took the long way home at Ted’s request singing Jack Johnson all along the lakefront. I was feeling so full as in my heart was bursting with the love I have for my three, and the love they have for me. I'm ready for another year.
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