Continuing my annual tradition, I took the day off from work. My husband made me french toast for breakfast before he left for work. After filling up, my mom and I went on a wildlife hike. It was just over three miles and we saw almost zero wildlife. Every spot that you would normally see jack rabbit or deer or anything but little birds was empty. It was still a lovely little walk, but my mom was disappointed that her trail didn't show itself off properly.
It was lunch time by the time we finished so we went to lunch at one of those eat-in movie theaters. We didn't have a plan so we just picked a movie when we arrived. That's the beauty of going to a movie in the middle of a weekday: there are plenty of open seats. Usually the movies are terrible at the end of January so I've gotten used to watching trash (see the Vin Diesel XXX sequel last year) and I kind of look forward to it. This year we ended up watching 'The Greatest Showman', which is not supposed to be trash. I was kind of disappointed, but the music was good. I'm not a fan of circuses and Hugh Jackman's character had virtually no redeeming qualities for being the 'hero', but I enjoyed everyone else.
I spent the rest of my day lounging at home with my cats, watching youtube videos and reading books. It was a good day.
One of my friends wanted to celebrate with me, so on that Friday we did one of those wine and paint classes. I don't drink, but I do enjoy directed creativity. I always feel guilty choosing activities that come at a price, but once I saw this one on the website, I knew we had to do it.
It was a beautiful combination of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' and Star Wars. Abstract and nerdy, we needed to do it.
I was concerned that Dan wouldn't enjoy it, but he loved it. He was such a good sport and I'm already keeping an eye out for the next class that may be up our alley.
Afterward, my friends and I went to a local fast food joint up the street (Eegees!) and met up with some more of us, sat in booths in the back, and filled up on french fries and frozen drinks. I wanted it to feel like being a teenager again and the night delivered.
Dan and I celebrated together, just the two of us, on Saturday. It was a beautifully warm day and we spent it at the zoo. Most the animals were out, as were all the children in town, but we still had a fun time. I took Snapchats and added ridiculous captions and sent them to Dan so that, at the end, he had my recap of the day.
We got frozen yogurt at the mall on the way home and had a bit of a shopping spree. Who can tell a girl no when you are celebrating her birthday? The rest of the day was chill, which is always good by me.
I celebrated with my family on Sunday by opening gifts and going out for pizza.
My birthday is always my favorite holiday. That probably says a lot about me, but I like being the center of attention. This year wasn't the big party like last year, but I did get to spend time with lots of people I love and care about. It was a good day celebrating a good year.
