Back-to-Back Birthdays

On Staci's birthday we took her out to breakfast and then went to Lexington. We went to the city museum, did the mile hike from Main Street to VMI and back, and walked Main Street so she could see it. 

I admired all the churches. These are within just a few hundred yards of each other. I wonder if one hundred years ago they were the big draw to come into town. Today within a half-mile on our main stretch you can get to Trader Joes, Costco, Pier One Imports and Best Buy, and that's the big draw into that area of town. Times have changed.

 Somehow we ended up in a music shop. Everyone got busy touching and strumming and comparing. Dan has given our kids musical curiosity, and they are old enough to touch instruments without breaking them. We sneakily bought a mandolin stand for Dan and J admired the cellos for sale.

 That night we gathered people together to celebrate the birthday girl with chocolate cake, ice cream, and games.  She had a bit of a cold, and got resourceful in blowing out her candles without infecting us all.

We love her, and having her in our home is always a treat.  Additionally, she draws a crowd and we like being in the middle of it.

The very next day was Dan's birthday. That morning, while he still was sporting a bedhead, we surprised him with a mandolin, the same type he had tried out in Lexington, Massachusetts two years ago.

Bowling was on that day's agenda. For the first time ever, I won. Documenting it here on the blog is absolutely the only way to preserve that memory. My kids are getting better than me in almost everything, so this might be last win. I dedicate it to our birthday guy, Dan.

We ended the night with games with friends and cheesecake and tunes on the newest addition to Dan's collection.