Sunday, July 15, 2007

Birthday/Wedding/25th Anniversary

Look what my hubby got me for my birthday ... I was so excited! I had this book on loan from the library and was loathe to give it back. It was waiting for me when I got back from Winnipeg. There are so many cool, quick things to knit, I hardly know where to begin!

My friend, Connie, treated me to a special lunch for my birthday, to a wonderful place called "PineRidge Hollow" just outside of Winnipeg. It's a converted barn on a large acreage that serves amazing food, but don't even think of trying to show up without a reservation ... this place is hopping busy! We decided to eat 'light' so we could indulge in one of their famous desserts. Shown below is the Skor torte, which was absolutely amazing! Four layers of chocolate cake, with mocha mousse sandwiched between the layers. Then, more mousse (as icing) on the outside, and crushed Skor bars sprinkled on top. The whole thing sat in a pool of drizzled chocolate and homemade caramel sauce. Decadent! Can you believe the size of the piece of cake??? Needless to say, we shared it and topped it off with a delicious cup of coffee. We liked the mugs so much, we bought some to take home! The bill arrived and we were surprised to learn that the dessert was free for the birthday girl -- bonus! I just realized that you've know seen this top for the third time recently ... I do own others ... I just seem to wear it on picture taking days! Notice the new glasses??? Aren't the 40's wonderful? I'm still getting used to wearing them, and have to be especially careful on stairs.

Here's the reason I went to Manitoba ... the happy couple, Kerri and Ken, were married on 07/07/07. What a lovely wedding! I spent several hours reconnecting with folk I haven't seen for years ... such a fun time! I didn't get to bed until 1:30a.m., but not before I phoned home to check in with hubby, who announced to me that it technically was my birthday ... I'd completely forgotten! I had been rifling through my suitcase, looking for a specific item, when I spotted a birthday card tucked inside from my hubby. What a guy! He's so good at picking out cards that say it all ... sigh!
After the ceremony, Connie and I blew back to the hotel to get the "Wedding Cake" set up. Kerri didn't want cake, she wanted cupcakes. So, Connie and I baked cupcakes, trying to determine what kind would be best. This was no small feat, considering we are 3 Provinces apart! Anyway, it was finally decided that they would be chocolate/chocolate chip, covered with buttercream icing. Connie's husband, Byron, was enlisted to create the stands and I was giving direction to Connie, via email/phone, how to cover it with fabric and decorate with ribbon. It turned out fabulously!

Here we are, greeting each other in the reception line, as though we hadn't just seen each other half an hour before! Connie looked stunning. She was having trouble finding a dress she liked, so I emailed her a picture of the dress I wore to my sister's wedding. What you need to know, is that prior to heart medication, we were similar sizes and I could buy clothes for her and know without a doubt it would fit. She liked it, so I mailed it out to her and not only did it fit perfectly, she looked absolutely fabulous in it!


The day after the wedding was Connie & Byron's 25th anniversary ... which means we've been friends for 26 years !!!! They invited 57 of their family and friends to spend the afternoon with them at their home. I was running around taking pictures all afternoon, which gave me more opportunity to catch up with folks. Kerri and Ken postponed their honeymoon so they could be there to help celebrate. And a good time was had by all!

2 comments:

craft-chick said...

Happy Belated Birthday! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip, and the cupcakes looked beautiful!

Gail said...

Happy Belated Birthday and welcome home! Judging from the photos you had a great time.