My birthday this year was absolutely FABULOUS.
My ex-sisters-in-law (I prefer to call them my sis-out-laws) and I decided to get together in Minneapolis for the weekend. There are three of them, and the youngest of the bunch is attending school in St. Paul, so we drove the 6 hours or so it takes to visit her.
We had so much fun! We shopped, went on a long walk by a waterfall (in the middle of St. Paul!) and spent some happy moments in a candy store aptly named “Candyland,” where I purchased, among other things, candy Legos that actually fit together.
My favorite part was eating at The Happy Gnome in St. Paul the evening of my birthday. Here’s a picture of us taken by our waitress just after she served our food. (Bet you can’t tell which one is me — ha!)
Amy, me, Kim and Ann
I don’t know why the date on the camera says 2010, but of course I didn’t realize that until after the weekend was over.
This is what I ordered:
It. Was. Amazing.
That’s cheese, Capriole O’Banon, to be exact, wrapped up in leaves, served with fruit preserves, bread, crackers and nuts. It was not a huge serving, by any means, and I even shared it with everyone at the table; however, it was so savory, rich and wonderful, the small amount was plenty (plus I had crab cakes too). That cheese was one of the absolute best things I’ve ever tasted.
Also new to me at The Happy Gnome was pear cider (can’t believe I’ve never had that before!) and a draft called Magic Hat #9, which had a light fruity taste. If all beer tasted like that, I’d drink it a lot more! The whole experience left me wishing I had more opportunity to try food and drinks like this because I enjoy it so very much.
I’ve decided since then that I’m going to incorporate more savory/rich foods into my diet, like flavorful salads topped with apples, feta cheese and dried cranberries. I’m going to splurge for expensive cheese once in awhile and enjoy it with a glass of wine. Most recently, I had some Havarti cheese with my Cabernet Sauvignon — mmmmmmmmm.
Little pleasures like this are what keep us appreciating life. I think we should all make more of an effort to incorporate something(s) we truly enjoy into our lives more often, whether it’s food, drink, taking a little time to watch the stars or dancing in the rain. Whatever it is for you, create those opportunities.
Enjoy.
What do you consider the small pleasures in your life? How could you incorporate more of them into your routine?
Yum! A long time ago, I interviewed the cheesemaker for Capriole O’Banon. She was really earthy. She was like, “Hello? You want to do an interview? Well, I only have ten minutes and then I need to milk my goats.” It’s just a tiny little farm in southern Indiana, but the cheese is considered world-class. You have good taste.
Also, yum on the Magic Hat. You need to come here next and we’ll take you out for more cheese and beer. You’ll even look like people in the picture!
I hope you had a great dinner together with your freinds..The food you eat it looks so delicious..I remember my freind also..Thank you for sharing your photo..