great way to spend a day

As part of my husband's birthday gift (he turned 31 on Friday), I wanted to give him a full day of us hanging out and having fun. When we were traveling, we used to pick up snacks and spend an entire day just walking around, exploring new neighborhoods, drinking coffee... I wanted to do something similar in our own city so I chose the neighborhood of Inglewood, a cute and older part of town we haven't spent much time in.

It was great. Here's a recap:

• Saturday morning we picked up pastries from the French bakery near our house.

• ate them in lovely Central Memorial Park
• followed a path neither of us had ever taken along the elbow river into Inglewood
• spent some time browsing in a second hand bookstore
• went into all of the antique shops and cool furniture shops along 9th Avenue S.E.


• spent some time at Tea Trader learning about tea and smelling the different varieties. We bought two different types.

• had lunch at Spolumbo's - Italian spicy sausage on a bun with fresh tomato sauce and pickles on the side

• drank mojitos on a cute patio

• got a ride in a tiny convertible

• browsed around my favorite vintage shop in Calgary, Pretty Little Things, trying on hats and coveting a lovely refinished vanity.


• went to the recently opened Wurst and sampled some different beers.

30

Today I'm celebrating my 30th birthday. Although much of me feels exactly the same as I always have, I must admit that I do feel a bit different today. Perhaps a bit more grown up. But just a bit.

The celebration plans are simple. A fresh baguette with Bonne Maman jam and double creamed Camembert for breakfast. Perhaps some coffee at a Parisian cafe. Drawing. A meal out with my hubby and maybe wrap up the day with wine on the steps of the Sacré-Coeur this evening.

I should probably point out that the stripe of white hair in the above photo didn't magically appear today. I noticed it for the first time about a year ago.

I think it's funny :)

good stuff

Today was my 29th birthday, and for the most part it was a lovely day.
• I had a laid back day at work (it's always nice when that happens)
• wore my favorite gray dress for the first time this spring
• came home to balloons, sparklers and a message written in chalk on the sidewalk and the street in front of our house
• enjoyed a meal of sushi, miso soup and green tea ice cream
• held hands with my sweetheart