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| A High-Fiving Birthday Celebration! |
So it’s official. I turned 30 on Saturday. But you know, I’m quite okay with this number. It is, after all, just a number, right? Yes, physical signs of aging come with the territory, but I like to think of age as a mentality- I feel mature and I feel my age, yet I feel youthful, active and I see the world with so much promise. Bring on the 30’s, I say!
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| Happy Birthday Karmen, Rob…and Me! |
A few years ago, shortly after I moved to Calgary, I celebrated my 28th birthday by buying myself a piece of carrot cake, a coffee, and going back to my empty apartment to consume it all. Honestly, it was a great birthday. However, fast-forward two years, and I can truly say that I had a birthday weekend described as epic, made special by great friends *aww*. What was awesome, though, is that the celebrations for the birthday weekend extravaganza were for six birthdays! 🙂 Another great note is that my friend Jenine from Toronto was visiting Calgary, so it was great to have many people together for the festivities.
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| Ready to hike Nihahi Ridge Trail |
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| “We’re happy to be here!” |
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| Hiking through the meadow on the way to the ridge |
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| A coconut cupcake (with candles) to be eaten at the summit! |
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| A great view of the Elbow Valley |
From Friday to Sunday, it was a packed weekend. First up, a night of bowling for Rob’s, Karmen’s and my birthdays. It was a riot: fun 5-pin bowling and tasty pizza, cake and gifts! Early the next morning, and the day I turned 30, a planned day hike to Nihahi Ridge was greeted with fantastic summer weather. It was a quadruple celebration day: Robin’s, Shari’s, Laura’s and my birthdays.
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| Shari and I |
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| I’m 30 years old and I did it! |
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| Jenine being adventurous 🙂 |
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| Nihahi Ridge |
After a steady pace to the top of the mountain, we ate like royalty: a baguette, brie, prosciutto, turkey, lunches and snacks, and a 2006 bottle of an Argentinian Malbec that I picked up in Buenos Aires and have been saving for 3 years! Hiking in style is the only way to go, and I guess I was just waiting for the right occasion to crack open the bottle :). Of course, birthday celebrations wouldn’t be complete without cake and candles. We had cupcakes, chocolate cake, and a gigantic coconut cupcake from Crave (To note: Coconut cupcake from Crave = the best cupcake EVER! Thanks Sony!). Needless to say, we had a great feast near the summit, and no, there was no wine left for the descent :). We ended the evening relaxing on the patio at Redwater Grille in Aspen, where I had a flat-iron steak and mushroom risotto served with asparagus. It was also great to chat with my parents and siblings that night. Even though I couldn’t join for the anniversary dinner (To Ed and Lynne: Happy Anniversary!!), we were all together in spirit for the double celebration… *aww*, *tear*.
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| Robin opening melted cupcakes. Yum! |
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| Such a tasty wine! Totally worth the wait 🙂 |
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| One of many birthday cakes |
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| My meal at Redwater Grille. Sooo good. |
On Sunday, Jenine and I visited Elbow Falls, hiked the area, and returned to Calgary in time for a session of Bikram hot yoga (… and it felt fantastic!). The weekend ended with a meal at The Keg… and more steak… and wine.
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| Elbow Falls |
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| Give me my steak! |
Thank you to everyone who made this past weekend incredibly special. I turned 30 and celebrated several birthdays with such great people. I had friends and family from home and abroad call/ text/ FB/ e-mail/ and send letters/cards to wish me happy birthday. I ate and drank like they were going out of style! Many amazing memories were formed, and I look forward to seeing what the future has in store. What a way to start a new decade, I say… :).
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| I really am happy to be here! Bring on the 30’s… |
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 