A Perfect Day

April 28th is my Mother's birthday. For those of you who don't know, my mother is my everything - she's my role model, my mentor, my best friend, my rock. She has been the one constant in my chaotic life and I admire her more than anyone or anything else on this planet. So when she laid out her plans for her birthday this year, who was I to argue? She planned out every moment of the day - and it was perfect.

I'm often jealous of the rest of my family because their birthdays are all in the Spring whereas mine is in the winter. In the spring and summer you have many more options for things to do on your birthday - parks, picnics, barbecues, camping, etc... In Olympa, where my mother lives, the Spring is gorgeous. She knew exactly how to take full advantage of the day. And luckily, the weather was with us!

We began our day with coffee and breakfast at The Bread Peddler - an artisan bakeshop near the waterfront in downtown Olympia. The tiny little shop was packed (it was Arts Walk that weekend) but we managed to score a couple of seats at the window. Window seats in any cafe in Olympia is important because the 'people-watching' is always entertaining.

After coffee, a game of 'count-the-Subarus', and a delicious meal, we made our way down to the Farmers Market. I love going to the Olympia Farmers Market in the Spring because they have a beautiful garden with tons of flowers in bloom. I am by no means a gardener, but I do enjoy looking at and photographing flowers.  My mother, on the other hand, is an avid gardener and enjoys looking over what the locals have to offer at the plant and flower tables. We did a quick perusal of the various vendor's tables, bought some homemade soaps and dried lavender, and headed out to our next destination.

Next stop - PEDICURES! I was especially excited about this next stop. After breaking my leg, all I could think of was getting a pedicure (casts are not particularly friendly to legs and feet). It had been several months since I had had a proper pedicure and was finally feeling brave enough to attempt one (I still experience some pain in my ankle and was a little nervous about having someone torquing on it too much). It was definitely appreciated and I experienced no pain! It was heavenly.  :)


Pedicures completed, it was now time for some shopping and a nap. Well... my mom got a nap. I got to make her a carrot cake. I've my tons of cakes before but never a carrot cake. Did you know that grating a pound of carrots without a food processor can turn your hands bright orange? It was worth it though because it was one of the best carrot cakes I've ever had. (I got the recipe from the people at Cook's Illustrated). The cake had a cream cheese frosting that was unbelievably creamy - if you want the recipe, let me know and I can email it to you.

For dinner, Mom requested Red Lobster. My sister joined us, and quickly declared that she would be drinking and I, therefore, had to play designated driver. It's amazing what 2 Long Island Iced Teas will do to my sister. The meal, although it took a while, was lovely (and entertaining) and now it was time to head back to the house for a couple drinks with friends. 

Needless to say, I was exhausted by 10 and in bed by 11. It was beyond worth it. I'm not sure I could have planned a better day. Thank you mom, for being born!