Quarter-Century-Ness
“That’s a quarter century. Makes a girl think.”
On Monday, January 22nd, I turned 25. For some reason, I’ve been looking forward to this birthday for awhile. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of the movie quote above. Or that it’s the next “big birthday” until 30. I wanted to make a BIG deal of it. Thought about a trip to Thailand or a cruise.
Then I realized, I wanted to spend this birthday with my family, something that I haven’t done in a few years. I had the absolute pleasure of hosting my whole family in Michigan for birthday festivities, in the middle of January, much to their dismay.
Mostly a weekend of drinking and eating. Just the way I like it.
On Saturday, we adventured to Kalamazoo on Saturday. To visit a new spot to me, Arcadia Brewing Company, and a favorite of mine, Green Door Distillery.
Arcadia sits right on the Kalamazoo River so the setting is amazing. You can bet I’ll be down here in the springtime when their awesome patio opens up. Somehow, we lucked out with $9 beer flights and a superb bartender. Whoo.
Green Door is probably my favorite spot in town. I love a good craft cocktail. I could do a whole post of this place alone. Everything for the cocktails is made in house: the spirits, the bitters, the sodas and such. All organic too. All delish.
Back in Grand Rapids, we enjoyed San Chez Bistro for the birthday dinner. Serving tapas, the dining experience was great for a group of people because we were able to share and try so many different dishes. Yum.
Sunday, we visited the Meyer May House in GR. It’s a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most famous architects. My parents are architects and the love of it flows through my brother’s and my blood so it was quite the treat to experience the house as it’s SO beautifully restored.
My house-family has a tradition of Documentary Night on Sundays. (If you’re in GR, message me if you’re interested in coming.) This week, partially in honor of my birthday, we watched Wasted, a film produced by Anthony Bourdain. It is highlighting the food waste problem we have in this country especially - something I am super passionate about.
No trip to GR would be complete without a trip or two to my favorite spot, Lyon Street Cafe. We enjoyed drinks there on Sunday and coffee on Monday before dropping the boys off.
Last and certainly not least, we rounded out the birthday festivities on the actual day with my other favorite: Stein Night at Brewery Vivant with my house-family and my mom since everyone else had left.
It was a full weekend, one that I’ll always fondly remember. It was awesome to show my whole family (some of which had visited before) the home I’ve created here in the Mitten. By the end, the introvert in me needed to decompress - still doing so.
What I learned: how blessed I am by the love I’m surrounded with in my life.
I have a loving family, amazing partner (sadly, he was sick last weekend), welcoming house-family, genuine and supportive friends who feel more like family than anything else. Not to mention all of the other awesome people in my life. You being one of them.
Thank you. Seriously. The love of people around us, given and received, gives life meaning and makes it much sweeter. Thank you for your love and helping my life be the sweet candy shop that it is.
