y husband, mother and friends all made sure my birthday on Friday was a fabulous one! In light of the dog attack the day before, I could not have needed it more. I awoke feeling hungover, not from alcohol, but from emotion and upset. My husband kept the gifts, support and surprises coming all day long. (disclaimer: my mother has set the bar rather high for birthdays - see above for most of what she sent, and below for the FIVE cards from her and my step-dad - so he's had to adjust his expectations and effort, bless him) By the end of the day, I felt nearly back to my regular self - a very spoiled regular self, of course.
Considering my less-than-stellar state, I stayed pretty low-key all day, basking in my husband's coffee cake and all my family's presents in the morning, then enjoying a nice long bath, a manicure with my new nail polish and neighborhood walk in the afternoon. As we neared evening time, all I knew was I had to 'be available', with no idea what the plan was. I had originally requested just a casual dinner with friends, nothing fancy, so when my friends all started wishing me a good evening and/or claiming illness, I was a bit saddened that it seemed I wouldn't be seeing them that day. Oh, those sneaks! When we showed up at the beautiful Domäne Mechtildshausen - which is pretty much a swanky farm where they sell dairy products, meats, baked goods and produce from the farm, not to mention have horse stables and several little restaurants - a bunch of friends were waiting, hiding behind menus, to celebrate with me.
After a really beautiful meal with lots of wine and Sekt, a lovely evening with friends and even more amazing gifts, I had nearly forgotten all the drama of the day before and was thoroughly enjoying my day. A huge thanks to everyone who helped make me feel so special that day!
With Bailey-dog on the road to recovery and our sweet kennel lady promising to take extra good care of her while she heals, we are off to Milan. Bis nächste Woche!
Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische
