Birthday Break

Monday was my birthday, and I started the celebration early with my mom’s visit on Thursday.

We took a long weekend and explored Evanston, while meeting friends for food and libations among various stops.

Prior to mom flying in a ceiling fan fell on my head, so we made this a walking weekend while monitoring for potential concussion symptoms.

We walked Main street first, picking up delicious chocolate mousse and lots of chocolate at Piron.

We got our nails done at Agora Spa.

Then we looked at the rocks at Dave’s Rock Shop and took some goodies home.

I got a silver dollar plant from Cultivate.

We took the alcohol ink coaster workshop at The Collage Cafe for one of my birthday parties.

I even got birthday cake and a serenade.

The inks are wonderful, and I played with some on my wire to see what that would do.

Then I picked out the colors to take home. The iridescent effect is lovely, and I cannot wait to design new pieces.

Afterwards we met friends at La Principal for delicious tacos, churros and cocktails.

Sunday was Dempster day, with a stop at Little Light Bazaar to explore my new lighting options.

Mateen has designed a whole new line of light fixtures out of punched copper and metal.

Some of these might work with a ceiling fan attached, so I get to ponder various rooms.

So many pretties!

You can create a souq-like atmosphere or be very monochromatic.

Lots of ideas to ponder, and also consider more functional lighting in the studio.

We stopped in Stumble & Relish and then visited my inventory at See Jane Sparkle.

I want these bangles to go travel the world.

After those sparklies we made our way to Ayla’s Orginals to pick out more beads.

Ayla’s has a bingo game so you should go in and get your playing cards to earn discounts on future purchases.

All that shopping made us thirsty, so Sketchbook’s new Taproom was a great spot for refreshment.

We had dinner at Campagnola which is always a treat.

Monday morning we had our coffee fix at Brothers K, and I get to drink more with a gift card!

The bulk of the day was spent wandering near the lake.

We dined at Oceanique for a lovely birthday celebration.

Of course Lucky Platter was the favorite breakfast choice.

With all that could have gone wrong during the ceiling fan drop, I am grateful to have another year to look forward to, and to have so many friends and loved ones to celebrate life with.

It is good to be alive, and to live the life I am living.

Here’s to more bright days ahead!