Secrets!

I am a really, really terrible secret keeper.  Well... not about all things... but certainly about GIFTS.  I am HORRIBLE at keeping gifts a secret!  That being said, I have been dying... just DYING to tell Heather about her birthday gift for weeks now.  It's been driving me nuts!  This weekend was her big day though, and I was super antsy to let her in on the secret!

She is trying to figure out what the piece of paper in her hands means...

When she figures it out she cries!

After the first hug Lily thinks that we each need individual hugs...

I got Heather tickets to go see MICHAEL BUBLE!  Yup - we're super stoked!  We're roadtripping to Detroit on the 25th to have a girls night with Michael Buble!  SO FUN!

And then we ate cupcakes to celebrate!

Total Relaxation

Travis got me a spa gift certificate for my birthday to the Vasio Spa at the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. The hotel is relatively new, I'd guess about a year and a half old.

What I love about swanky hotels is that even if they're in your own city, you can walk through them and feel like you're on vacation. Everything is so fancy and the staff wants to cater to your every need. I love that!

I headed to the spa today for a massage and (my first ever) facial. It.was.wonderful. Talk about a great way to spend an afternoon!

This is the view from the room where I got my treatments. That's the Grand River.


On the lobby level there's a restaurant and cocktail lounge that I really want to visit sometime soon.

There are these cool things in the stairwell that remind me of those hippy-ish beaded curtains to go over doorways, except that these are fiberoptic and glow blue.


The decor is bright and colorful. It's all very "hip" looking.


And this is the hotel from the outside...


Incidentally, Travis and I had a few of our engagement photos taken at this same hotel...




Hope you enjoyed my little tour of the Marriott - and I hope your weekend is even half as relaxing and joyful and my afternoon at the spa. Thanks, Travis! : )

Weekend Wrap Up!

Travis, Bella, the kittens, and I headed to the East side of the state this weekend for some Eversden Family fun.

We celebrated my (belated) and my Dad's (early) birthday with dinner at MAC's in Saline - the best chocolate mousse I have had in a loooong time!

My Dad got the toaster he's been dreaming of (haha!) and I got the SEWING MACHINE I've been wanting for forever! So amazing!

We also indulged in waffles (chocolate chip for me!) and shopping. What a great weekend!

(Click on photo collage to view larger!)

Caleb's First Birthday

We celebrated Cindy and Dustin's son Caleb's first birthday this weekend with a backyard party filled with friends, fun and family. Heather and I were pleased to make Caleb's birthday cupcakes, and the weather cooperated with a warm and sunshiney but not too hot afternoon.

Here are some photos from the day!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, CALEB!

Welcome, Issac Grant Bowman!

Congratulations to our cousins on Travis' side, Emily & Grant, who welcomed their first son into the world yesterday afternoon. Can't wait to meet him!

Birthday Shenanigans

We went out to a birthday dinner (yes, my birthday did last all weekend long!) last night with dear, dear friends Heather & Anthony and Seth & Kelly. We ate at the Bull's Head in downtown Grand Rapids which was delicious as always. Much fun was had by all! Thank you guys!










PS) Head over HERE for the latest kitten update. Don't forget to add yourself as a follower while you're there!

27

Yesterday I celebrated my 27th birthday!

It was a lovely day - and I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with people who are very near and dear to me.

The day got off to a great start. Cindy took me to brunch at one of our favorite local joints, Gaia Cafe. It's a vegetarian place and we pretty much always order the same thing. I had the "Jim White." It's black beans, brown rice, eggs, tomato, lettuce, and avocado. Delicious!


Cindy got me a gift bag filled with some handmade goodies from Etsy. So sweet!


Thanks for brunch, Cindy!


After Cindy dropped me off I laid down for a quick nap. Hey! Don't judge me! It was my birthday and I was entitled to that nap! : )

Later in the afternoon, Heather picked me up and we headed to the Olive Garden for a late lunch. It's kind of a tradition of ours to lunch there with their delicious soup, salad and breadsticks.



Because it was a special occasion though, we had festive drinks as well! I had some sangria, while Heather enjoyed a margarita.



After a quick stop at JoAnn Fabrics (hey - we like to craft!) we headed back to my place, where I got to open Heather's gift. Thanks Travis for the candid shots of my looking like a big dork!




She got me some fabulous cupcake making supplies. Yeah cupcakes! We got to work right away making some birthday mini cupcakes. They are so cute!


Thanks Heather, for all the birthday goodness!


That evening, I got to spend some time with my husband. He came home with flowers for me. Aw...


His gift to me was a gift certificate to the spa at the fancy-schmancy new JW Marriott hotel downtown. He said he knew I'd been stressed and sad lately and thought I'd enjoy it. Will I ever?! I am excited! I could totally go for some pampering right about now!

Then we headed out to dinner at Roses, our all-around favorite restaruant in town. It's become a tradition to go there on my birthday every year.


While we waited for our table I snapped a few photos. The restaraunt is right on the lake.






Once inside and seated we enjoyed spinach and artichoke dip for a starter...


I had the margerita pizza for my entree, and Travis had a burger...



And of course we HAD to get creme brulee to split for dessert. DELICIOUS!


Thanks Trav, for the wonderful gift and birthday dinner!


All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful birthday. Thanks to Cindy, Heather and Travis for the great food and even better company. And thanks to all of you who sent cards, gifts, facebook messages, and phonecalls. I appreciate it more than you know, and feel very loved.

Have a wonderful weekend!