The BIG 3-0!!

So it came and it went and I have yet to blog about it, can't believe it! Well, I can report that I survived it, I am still breathing, I turned 30 and lived to tell about it, so all is well.  Actually I had an absolutely wonderful birthday from start to finish, I'm a lucky girl.

My actual birthday was on a Wednesday so I spent the day at work (bummer), however because I have great coworkers and family, it wasn't that bad.  My office was decorated with streamers and balloons and the birthday cards and wishes came throughout the day.  My boss took me out to lunch and when we got back I found this waiting for me on my desk :

Yep, those are chocolate covered strawberries and a chocolate birthday card - thanks to my wonderful inlaws! So, I was officially on a sugar high for the rest of the day.

After work Alan took me out to dinner at MF Sushi - best sushi in ATL, love it!  And then we ended the night with desert and presents.
For the weekend I wanted to get away (within driving distance) to the mountains and really get away.  I also wanted to go horseback riding, something I have always wanted to do just never took an opportunity to do it.  So, I figured a birthday like this was a great time to check-off something like that!

So, that's what we did.  We headed to Blue Ridge, GA.  Don't know where that is? (don't worry neither did I) so here ya go:

We checked in to a beautiful cabin suite in a lodge and headed downtown to check out the heart of Blue Ridge.

The first stop was  the L & L Bakery for a cup of coffee to warm us up.  Cute little place that was full of local charm.


We also took in the shops throughout the main street downtown and took in the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway all while wondering through the snow showers.

Next we went up to Mercier Orchards. Of course, since it is winter, they weren't growing any apples but the assortment and products in their shop was amazing.



The highlight was lunch in their lunch shop, nothing like good ole mountain home cooked food.  Ever had Baked Potato Salad?  I have now and it's delish!!

Then it was off to the big event - horseback riding!!  I was all ambituous beforehand but once I got there I was a little nervous.  I was hoping to take it slowly at first and then I found out it was an "adventure" ride, so that was out of the question.  We started out going straight up the mountain and then we were informed that our horses were going to "pick up a little speed".  SPEED?  I had just gotten on the horse, we weren't even comfortable walking together yet!  But we did it and I proceeded to BOUNCE and BOUNCE and BOUNCE as my horse ran.  Apparently "posting" is an acquired skill and I was not able to acquire it on this ride.  We rode up and down the hils, through the woods and across a pasture. 

The leader instructed us on how to steer the horse, slow them, speed them up, etc. and everything went pretty smoothly. Alan's horse (Teaspoon) kept trying to bypass my horse (Sampson) in our single file line so we had to keep him in check. about half way through the ride Sampson decides he doesn't want to walk throught water on the trail and tries to climb out of the trail and make his own way.  Well, the leader told me not to let him and to steer him back down, Sampson didn't want to follow my pulls and resisted which caused his back legs to buckle and the two of us to almost fall back into the trail  Thankfully Sampson's stubborness gave out at the last minute and he reluctantly kept us from falling and moved back down to the trail.  Yikes!  I thought I was a goner there for a minute! 

We continued to get more and more comfortable on the horses as we made away along the route.  We got almost all the way back to the barn and Sampson decided he needed a snack now and couldn't wait until he got to the barn, so he stopped and started munching on some grass on the edge of the trail.  The leader quickly told me to make him stop but pulling back on him.  I pulled and pulled and pulled, until I was practically laying down on the horse, before he pulled a mouthfull of grass out of the ground and proceeded to eat along the rest of the ride.  He definitely gave me a run for my money on that ride!
I loved every minute of it and can't wait to do it again!!

We said goodbye to Sampson and Teaspoon and headed back to the lodge.  We spent a couple hours warming up, resting and enjoying the quiet.  The beautiful fireplace and HUGE bathtub were a big help!



Then it was time to pick a place for dinner, get dressed and head out.
We chose the Blue Orleans Bistro, located in the middle of downtown Blue Ridge. 

Sunday we slept in and then hit the local doughnut shop before heading back to Atlanta.

It was a great weekend and just exactly how I wanted to spend my Birthday weekend.
Thanks to everyone tha made turning 30 so much fun, especially my hubby!!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Happy Belated Birthday. It looks like you had a wonderful time.

Love,
Aunt Pat

Valerie said...

Thanks Pat! We did have a wonderful time!