the best day ever birthday photos!

most years, i go out of town for my birthday. so this was the first time in a long while that i've been at home. and did i ever have the BEST DAY!

brian started things off by making me breakfast...cherry crepes with whipped cream!

then we headed out for a winter hike in the arboretum.

the sun was out, but it was still pretty cold, so we bundled up in our snowsuits again...

 

and had so much fun feeling very small in this huge woods.

we even got a wee-bit lost and ended up finding this breath-taking bridge...

and settled in at this shelter in the sun for a bit.

then we visited my favorite cheese shop and picked up loads of delicious cheese and flat breads. but we were still longing for a cheese plate right there on the spot, so we headed out for lunch around the capitol and ordered a pretzel and grilled cheese with lots of fries!

then it was time to warm up again. so we visited the tropical plants at olbrich gardens.

and i really think this just might be my new winter hideout whenever i get a bit too tired of the cold...

with birds and all, i felt like dancing in summer dresses again!

but heading back out into the snow wasn't so bad... we next stopped at my good friend gail's fabulous chocolate shop (gail ambrosius), then sat with some mulled wine at the weary traveler, and finally ended up at my all time favorite restaurant osteria papavero, where we enjoyed risotto and squash soup by candle light.

just looking at these photos makes me feel all cozy and i think i might just be doing more of my favorite things more often!

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ps. i am so excited to announce i will be an assistant instructor for stephanie fizer's online class, FLOURISH (January 31, 2011 through March 4, 2011)! you may remember, Flourish was the first art business class I took (last February!) and i cannot even tell you how much i learned and how it really made me confident in pursuing my passion and becoming a full-time artist + creative entrepreneur!

pps. i taught my very first HOW TO PAINT AN OWL WORKSHOP this past weekend! it was so much fun and i was just in awe of how everything fell into place! i cannot wait to show you all of the photos!

ppps. i'm extending my birthday celebration some more with a trip to chicago today! we love going to the holiday market on state street and visiting all of our old favorite restaurants!

best wishes to you!