The Big BirthDAY

This is the first year I have not been with my family on my birthday. I have always had such great birthday celebrations because it is in the middle of the summer. Countless Utah birthdays, one in St. Louis, California, Sedona, etc... But this one, was my first married birthday with my sweet husband. It couldn't have been better... a Saturday, no work, Ben home, and a sunny day.

There were a few things I thought I would never experience being at "home" on my birthday...

-Being cold at night
-70 degree weather during the day
-Going to a farm for fun
-Seeing a waterfall in my neighborhood
-Living in New York
-Go to someone else's party


The day started with sleeping in and then waffles from Ben. I then stopped by a "going away" get together for a girl in our branch. Afterward Ben and I went to play tennis. Right by the tennis courts is this beautiful waterfall..


After tennis Ben had the fun idea to go blueberry picking at Grisamore Farms. We had a fun time eating and picking them together.



We had barely missed raspberry season...but managed to find a few good ones and ate them there!


We came home from picking berries and then headed to dinner at "Just a Taste." It's a restaurant that has a lot of little appetizer-like small dishes... very fresh and very tasty :)

We came home from dinner and got to open presents and have cake/ice cream. This would be the "shrine." Whenever there is a birthday or holiday, the presents get lined up somewhere on display. After they are opened they are then usually displayed there as well. Just how it was in the Christensen home growing up... traditions never die.


Yay ... a cute raincoat. Since moving to Ithaca I have realized the frequency of it raining... so I thought it would be a great investment to have a nice raincoat. My mom somehow got this cute Betsy Johnson one from Nordstrom that was sold out online.


Hm.. what could be in this big box. No, not a soccer ball in it's box. It was a blanket with a soccer ball wrapped inside it. haha. He "didn't want it rolling around."


Ben was very excited about making his very first cake. He even did it in the bundt pan like my mom did. He bought the cute candles... even though we already had some, and wanted to do MOST of it by himself


Ben was so worried the wax from the candles would fall on his masterpiece that he FORGOT to sing happy birthday to me, and told me to hurry and blow out the candles! HAHA It took him a little while to realize why I was looking at him weird and why I wouldn't blow them out. He finally got it :)


Post present opening shrine...


Overall it was a great birthday!! I didn't realize it was not over until late the next night, on Sunday. A girl in our branch, Dani, invited Ben and I over to her house... We drove over there, not knowing that Ben had told a bunch of people from our branch to go over there. We knocked on her door and I saw this sign, and suddenly people came from all directions yelling "Happy Birthday!" I was very surprised and we had a fun game night!




Oh how I love birthdays... it sure is great to be 22! :)