It's A Birthday Photo Dump!

I haven't posted since last week - I was busy celebrating my birthday all weekend long and of course, that means that there are tons of pictures! So I give you a bunch of pictures and just a few little anecdotes from my wonderful birthday weekend! 

 

I was off work on Friday and enjoyed my day so much! I didn't sleep in, but I did enjoy just being a bit lazy on Friday morning for a little while before heading out to get a much needed pedicure! I grabbed some lunch for Ryan and I after my pedicure, ate a quick lunch with him and then headed to the doctor for a quick check-up! I enjoyed reading some out in the glorious fall weather and then got ready to head out to dinner with my sweet husband!

 

 

My dress and shoes (which you can't see in the pictures) were gifts from Ryan - they were perfect and I love them! We drove to nearby Martinsburg, West Virginia to have dinner at Brix 27 - which is such a unique and delicious little spot! This was my second time visiting Brix 27 and both visits have been excellent! If you're ever in the area, I'd absolutely recommend it! 

 

 

We started our meal with the Cheese Plate and the Shrimp Cocktail - the shrimp were gigantic! I had a birthday drink called The Pink Flamingo, which was the perfect fruity cocktail. I'm not a huge drinker, so I don't like things that actually taste like they have alcohol in them, ha-ha! I had the divine Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff Style and Ryan had the Braised Short Rib - both were so incredibly tasty!

My perfect birthday cake was made by the next door neighbor (she's actually across the street) Wendy and it not only looked incredible, it tasted divine too! It was such a perfect little cake and after Ryan and I returned home from Martinsburg, we celebrated with some family friends, ate cake and ice cream and opened gifts! I already knew I was a blessed woman - but birthdays always reinforce just what a beautiful life I've been given! 

Saturday, Ryan and I along with my parents headed North, a little closer to the DC Metro area and went to the Dulles Expo Center to take in the DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival! The Expo Center was filled with vendors selling chocolate and coffee, and also cake pops, brownies, krispy treats, nuts, sauces, candles and more... it was quite the smorgasbord of options! We spent about two hours tasting chocolate, coffee and more - but man, the crowds of people were no joke! 

We grabbed some lunch at a spot called Odd BBQ (it was fine) and then headed to Chantilly to check out the National Botanic Gardens, which are currently only open at certain times and have a ticketed entry price! It's the plan to eventually open the gardens to the public, but they are still very much in the building stage - not that it was an issue during our visit. 

 

 

 

The gardens are a fairly decent size - so you should definitely plan to walk! And walk we did, taking it all in! It is a gorgeous space, with a large lake that has multiple branches that spread through the gardens like little fingers, creating walking paths that snake around the lake. There are sculptures throughout the space and plenty of greenery... although soon I'm sure it will be bursting with Autumn colors!

 

  

There is a large open air barn on the property that could be used for so many things - but as someone who can still call herself a newlywed, I was imaging a wedding! This whole place could be an incredible wedding venue and I'm sure once it's completed, it absolutely will be! Two of the neatest portions of the garden were the Hobbit Town and the Castle - even though the castle is still being built! 

 

 

 

Ryan and I acted like little kids, wandering up and down and around the Hobbit houses, knocking on doors and going into the one little house that was open. It was so neat to see how they built this whole little village into the hillside! And the castle - it will be even more spectacular once it's completed! As it was, we had plenty of fun pretending to be a damsel in distress and a handsome prince, snapping pictures and cracking ourselves up! 

 

 

The final portion of the gardens went to required a short walk through the woods, but goodness - it was so worth it! We walked to the part of the gardens named Kyoto and it was such a peaceful and tranquil spot within these gardens: there was bamboo everywhere, water trickling along stones and through the bamboo and so many shady spots where you could sit, listen to the water and just be at peace. It was definitely Ryan and I's favorite spot in the entire garden!

 

 

I would absolutely recommend checking this spot out - you'll need to go to their website to see when it will be open - but it's absolutely worth an afternoon! You could even make a day out of it, they have picnic tables alongside the lake that are perfect for a lunch and I saw a couple people setting up blankets alongside the lake as well! It's a unique spot - to be sure! 

 

We made a short stop at Trader Joe's and then headed home for the evening, where we had delicious homemade chili and watched The Haunted Mansion! Sunday morning we were lucky enough to attend church at Southview Community Church - the pastor is one of our dear family friends and lives right down the street from my parents! It was a great church service and we really enjoyed it!

We had lunch at Chuy's (love it) and did a little shopping at 5.11 Tactical and Land's End before heading home, getting things together for the work week ahead and just trying to chill a bit before another week kicked off! I leave you with my plethora of decorations that are making my desk feel so very festive as the most wonderful final three months of the year proceed!