HAPPY BIRTHDAY .... to me :-)

So my birthday this year started out with a bunch of surprises .... a wonderful bottle of bourbon and a birthday cake that Laura had made for me but I was also told that we would be going away for the weekend.

Well the hard part of going away for the weekend was not knowing what I would be doing or where I would be doing it .... all I had been told was to pack a bag and be ready to load up the Jeep.

Friday morning came - I was packed and the Jeep was packed and I was told to drive north ... myself Laura and Chris were going to Ottawa to spend my birthday weekend with Sam and Tika. Having done this drive so much I could almost do it blindfolded.

Chris spent the weekend with her sisters and Laura had booked a two bedroom apartment that was owned by a Cordon Bleu chef for us. The apartment had the kitchen to uphold that standing. We had everything we could possibly need - from a beautiful Italian made gas range to every pot, pan, knife etc imaginable. Laura had found a perfect spot for us and the outdoor grill just added to it. It also made our arrival on Friday night easy as I could just grill up some supper :-)

Saturday morning the girls came downtown and we spent the morning and early afternoon in the market and visiting the Ottawa U campus and having some traditional Ottawa food (now that is shawarma). Saturday evening myself and Laura spent having dinner with Malcolm and Lynne. Great food, great company and great wine - it was a fantastic evening. Sunday myself and Laura did some shopping and just relaxed - Laura knew Monday would be a busy day.

Monday was the day that Laura and the girls had planned. We had packed a picnic lunch and we headed up to Camp Fortune to the Adventure Aerial Course. The course is set high in the trees in Gatineau Park and you spend 2-3 hours negotiating sets of obstacles and then zip-lining in between other trees. At times it was challenging but we all got through in one piece and I think all of us learned that we can do it if we put out minds to it.

The picnic place

After the course we stopped in the park for the picnic lunch before heading to Nordik - a Scandinavian Spa in Chelsea where Laura had booked massages for us and we set the kids off to the saunas and pools. After our massages we joined the kids and just relaxed for a couple of hours - soaking in the saunas, pools and the sun. After a quick cleanup we headed home and out to dinner. We had walked by this restaurant on Saturday and myself and Tika commented on it so we decided that it was a good place for a birthday dinner. We were right - Brothers Beer Bistro had the perfect combination of great food, great atmosphere and great service. Even though we were all a bit full we waddled over to Spin after for dessert. Well - Sam, Kris and I had dessert - and I did not finish mine - I was at the point of food coma .... but it was a good food coma.

Tuesday was the drive back ... yes it was hard to leave as Laura and the kids made the weekend wonderful but all those great memories will be with me forever. After we got back - it was just two days later that we heard that Sam had gotten her first job ... maybe we were her good luck charms :-)

I wanted to thank the kids and especially Laura for arranging the trip - it was a great birthday and one I will always remember.