Birthday Fun!

Oh, Chicago! Oh, Chicago!

You know that song sung by Frank Sinatra, right? Yes, well, I had the song in my head all day long on my birthday because I spent the day enthralled by the wonders of Chicago. My lovely husband planned an absolute gem of a day in this city--our new "backyard" city - couldn't have been better! We hopped on a train from our local suburb train station and spent the morning roaming Grant Park, Michigan Ave, and the pathway along the harbor. Then, out of the blue, James puts together a fantastic picnic spread for us in the Art Institute Gardens--he'd smuggled all the goods with him in his bag, and I had no idea! After our lazy and leisurely picnic, James shepherded me along to the favorite part of my day - an Architectural tour of Chicago given from a boat along the Chicago River. It was a divine compilation of two of my favorite things: architecture, and boating! I love how well James knows me.

Here we are on the bridge above the Chicago River.

The famed Chicago Tribune Building - a unique blend of Gothic and Art Deco styles.

The Chicago River.

One of the other Architectural Gems of the city.

A view from the Art Institute Gardens where we picnicked.

The orchestrator of this fabulous birthday.

The steps up to the Art Institute - with a multitude of gorgeous flowers.

I've also been completely spoiled this birthday with several cards and gifts from family, including this monster birthday package from my momma. More than the gifts themselves (which were so much fun), it meant so much to me to know my Mom put so much time and effort into this package. She wrapped up a whole assortment of goodies, and I felt giddy like a five-year-old on Christmas Eve. (I know adults aren't supposed to care about opening presents, but we can be giddy like five-year-olds every once in awhile, right?)

Perhaps my favorite part of the birthday package were all the little notes attached to each present, a tradition my family has that was started by my Nana (I don't know where she got it from, maybe her Mom?). My family always attaches little "notes" to each gift to give a hint or idea of why we thought the gift would be meaningful or fun to the recipient. It may seem silly to some folks, but to me it's always been just an extra touch of personalization to make someone feel loved.

Thanks everyone for all the Birthday Goodies and calls and emails - even though I only spent time with my hubby on my birthday, I felt loved and appreciated by people from all over.