Happy Birthday to You!

As cliche' as it sounds there is nothing like good food, good fun, and good friends. We shared the weekend with four wonderful friends who came to celebrate Judy's birthday. Earlier in the year we were able to celebrate Jennifer and Sandy's birthdays on two consecutive weekends.  This weekend we rounded out our birthday celebrations. Jennifer, Sandy,  Cheryl and Sharon all planned a series of wonderful meals that began Friday night with awesome chicken enchiladas. We began Saturday early with a trip to the Carruth studio, Garden Smiles, in Waterville, Ohio where George Carruth was there for a meet and greet and to sign autographs. Over the years we have come to love his garden artwork and have come to share it with many friends who visit. Visiting his studio has become a common "tourist" site for anyone who visits.  After we each secured a wonderful piece of artwork we ate at a neat little pub and grill called Smedlap Smithy. Can you only image the history behind that name? The pub does hold a rich history that one can ready on the back of the menu. At one time it was a former blacksmith shop. Inside the pub is an indoor swivel side that invites dinners to try. After we each went for a ride down the slide we enjoyed many laughs over a great meal.  From Smedlap's we drove through a new outdoor mall at the Fallen Timbers. This particular mall opened just before Christmas. These outdoor malls are becoming more and more popular, but I still wonder about how inviting and practical they are in the Midwest where winter still brings less than ideal outdoor shopping conditions.  After a stroll through the mall we returned home for some wonderful laughs and several games of pool before sitting down to a lovely dinner prepared by our four friends. It was such a treat to watch our friends moving about the kitchen each contributing a special dish to dinner. Cheryl grilled steaks outside. Winter grilling is so awesome! After chiseled off the cover, Cheryl fired up the gas and went at. Twenty minutes later the stakes were prepared to perfection. We all sat down and after a brief prayer enjoyed the most scrumptious home cooked meal of the month! Wahoo! I'm so thankful for friends who cook. After an "all hands on deck" clean up we headed to the basement for continued pool, great music, wonderful stories and laughs until we hurt. We rounded out the evening with cake and ice cream to top off Judy's birthday weekend. Eventually sleep became more necessary than visiting so we all said good night. Sunday morning dawned and it was time to say goodbye. We had all enjoyed the special time we shared.  After planning our next get together we said goodbye uplifted in our spirits because we had shared food, fun and friendship.