Celebrating Another Year

The first day of Spring also means I'm another year older!  My birthday weekend was blessed with perfect Spring weather...the air was crisp, the sun was shining and the earth was blooming. It also was a Saturday, a Creative Saturday so Lita and I headed out to Naples for the day with cameras in tow. Our first stop was Tin City, a waterfront marketplace:

This fun and wonderful mural proved to be a great backdrop for shouting out to the world that it was my birthday!  I think I was yelling "Yay! I'm 45! so I could, you know, get behind the idea a bit quicker. :)

After a bit of shooting, we took a break to have lunch at one of the many restaurants along the waterfront.  We got a table next to the water and enjoyed watching the traffic leisurely going by.

Lovely Lita treated me to lunch for my birthday and she had a Salmon Salad and I had a Mahi Mahi Cuban sandwich with Sweet Potato fries which were so very delicious:

Our next stop after lunch was the downtown Historic District where, after parking, we found the most beautiful blooming tree which kindly invited us into it's branches:

We had so much fun exploring all the fun and eclectic shops and even found one that had some funky Happy Birthday glasses:

Here is Lita with a pair that make her look like some sort of Bat Girl from Gotham City:

I took on the character of a stern teacher with this pair:

We took a short break at Starbucks for some Iced Tea and snacks and then drove to the place I was most looking forward to going:  Nancy's Dollhouses and Miniature Store
I was like a kid in a candy store here...so much to see and look at...and buy!  But, I limited myself to just a few things for my Lighthouse.  I also bought the cutest little Spider Web cake for my Witches Cottage and Greenhouse scene.  There were some amazing miniature scenes already done in the store but none captured our hearts quite like these cute little elves in Santa's Kitchen:

Lita and I as always, had a great day together filled with lots of laughs.  Thank you Lita for a terrific birthday!

When I got back home, Charlie had brought home dinner and a chocolate cake. Afterwards I got a 2 hour foot massage as I enjoyed my Teavana Tea, Vosges Chocolate and reading all my birthday wishes off of Facebook, opening all my cards and gifts.

Lita got me this book that I have wanted forever.  I always look at it when we go to Barnes and Noble but never buy it for myself, usually because I already have an armful of magazines and books.  But, Lita remembered and presented it to me for my birthday along with a Faerie drawing book I had longed for as well and she had them both tied up with colorful ribbons. Thank you Lita my present! I love you lots! I can't wait to be inspired by both of them!

Loran had gotten me the most amazing earrings from Maya, the Spirit Jeweler:

Loran designed them specially for me and everything means something. The cat represents my baby, my child, the recipient of my nurturing self, but the cat is on a path, or road which represents my journey of growth.  The butterflies are my free spirit, my exploring self. The aquamarine represents my birthstone and the peridot stands for inner truth, to always be true to my inner self.  On the back of the earrings Loran had these words inscribed "True friends can grow separately without growing apart":

It was such a beautiful and touching gift. Thank you Loran!! I love you!

My birthday weekend continued with Charlie taking me out to brunch on Sunday at Toojays;

And afterwards to the Coral Springs art fair where I purchased a hanging bird bath and some Plumeria for my garden.  And, where, unbelievably I met Maya, the Spirit Jeweler!  The very woman who had created my earrings that Loran designed.  I happened to be wearing them too and Maya squealed with delight in discovering I was the one Loran had the earrings made for.  She remembered everything about me that Loran had told her...about our treks and our friendship.  She told me Loran took a very long time designing the pieces and was very thoughtful on what to put on the back.  It makes me treasure them even that much more.
Of course I had to have a picture with this beautiful spirit of a woman so that I could send it to Loran as nothing in this world is ever by chance...everything is connected!

My birthday weekend was infused with joy, laughter, friendship, love, comfort and positive light.
My 45th year is starting out on a bright path with a soaring spirit!