Sunday, September 8, 2013

Birthday Weekend Recap

This Saturday was my 29th birthday, but I had the pleasure of celebrating all weekend long!

Since Jay had a volleyball tournament on Friday and Saturday in Houston (he is the head coach, so he can't miss these things), he took me out to dinner on Thursday night and gave me my present early.  He got me a new camera, and I could not be more excited about it!  He did a lot of research before choosing the Canon Powershot S110.  It takes great pictures, is small enough to take with me everywhere, and the best thing is that it can send the pictures over wi-fi directly to my phone or computer.  It will make blogging so much easier!

On Friday I had a full day of doctors appointments and chemo, but after an afternoon nap I felt lots better and made it to my aunt and cousin's mother-daughter art show.  My aunt Janice is a super talented professional artist here in OKC, and her daughter, Elise, inherited her creative genes.  She is now majoring in art at OU and does amazing work that I love!

Their show featured many pieces that they worked on over the summer in similar styles, and they were all beautiful!  My step dad was very generous and got me a painting for my birthday AND one for Christmas, both by Elise (top right and bottom left).  My mom fell in love with one of Janice's larger pieces (bottom right) and ended up purchasing it for herself.  I would say the show was a big success!
Janice and Elise also donated ten percent of the proceeds from their show to Heels for Hope, a local organization raising awareness for ovarian cancer.  Heels for Hope happened to be hosting a 5k the next morning, so I signed up along with my friend, Zenie, and my mom.
Zenie and I walk-jogged, and, although we didn't set any records, we had a great time chatting and taking in the sites along the Oklahoma river.  My mom walked most of the way but wasn't far behind.  It was a fun, healthy way to kick off my birthday!

My cousin Elise and I actually share the same birthday, so that evening our families got together at my aunt and uncle's for a joint get-together.  We had a delicious meal of grilled free-range chicken, grilled vegetables, tabbouleh, hummus, and pita.  My uncle makes his tabbouleh from a long-standing family recipe, and it is the best there is!
Elise and I both opened some really nice gifts, and we enjoyed a tasty chocolate cake that my mom made with a vegan chocolate coconut cream peanut butter frosting!  It was really good (and creative), and she promises to share the recipe soon!

To wrap up the weekend, Jay invited some friends to meet out at our favorite winery on Sunday once he was back in town.  I love this winery, because, even though it is only a few minutes outside of the city, it has a very peaceful and relaxing country feel.  The owners are super nice and laid-back, and they make some really good wine!  It was a great afternoon catching up with friends!

Despite not always feeling 100%, I would say I made the most of the weekend and had a great birthday!

3 comments:

  1. Wow! Sounds great! Happy birthday and keep up the good fight.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like you had an AMAZING birthday!! Hugs to you from KC :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great effort... superb organic content. If you are interested in CLASSIC DULHAN MEHNDI DESIGNS do have a look.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments and questions! Thanks for stopping by!