September is a very busy time for Donna, so I figured my birthday would come and go. The day before my birthday Donna had a wedding shoot for our friends Besty and Eli. I had to work a midnight shift that night. We got home late after the reception and I headed to work. After making my stop for coffee I made it to work only to find Donna there with a small ice cream cake and a few presents and her explaining it was all she could do being so busy. Not a problem for me, I'm not that big on my birthday anyways.
After making it home the morning of my birthday after work, I was very tired. While getting ready for some rest, Donna asked if I would like to go to brunch a little later, "sure" I said. So I slept for an hour or so. When I awoke, Donna made some remarks about not going and just staying home, which would have been fine with me, but we did end up heading to The South Station for brunch. We arrived at the restaurant and I headed to the back room where brunch is usually served but Donna said to follow her into a side room where we found my parents, my daughter Cait, my brother Greg and his wife Tanya, our friends Gordon and Amy and Lori and Terry. That was pretty cool I thought. We had brunch and I opened some presents which included an orange foam hat that looked like a traffic cone that said "caution, turning 40"
After eating I noticed a large white SUV limo pull up outside, WOW someone is coming to brunch in style I thought. Little did I know it was for me. Donna had arranged for the limo to take us on a trip that day. Donna gave me an envelope and inside was an itinerary for our day. This would be a 40th birthday brewery tour. COOL! After saying goodbye to friends an family, Greg and Tanya and Donna and myself loaded up and headed out. Our first stop was Middlebury, VT. home of Otter Creek Brewery. We had a small tour and a TASTING! Loading up again and heading out we landed in South Burlington at Magic Hat Brewery where our friends Bob and Mike serenaded me from the tower with a rousing verse of Happy Birthday. And again another TASTING! Bob and Mike joined us in the limo and we picked up Mike's wife Lisa and headed to Switchback Brewey....only to find it not open...Off to the next.
We landed next at The Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington meeting Ed and Gillian with grandson Anthony. A fabulous dinner was had by all with lots of conversation and laughter. My beers were compliments of the staff there. My kind of place! You can see the group in front of the limo above. Saying goodbye to Bob, Mike, Lisa, Ed, Gillian and Anthony, the rest of us headed out again this time to Waterbury finding The Alchemist Pub. After sampling new varieties and being bought one by a patron we headed home. What a day...worked all night, slept few minutes,brunch,limo ride, brewery tours and home again around 10:30 that night. Do I have the coolest girlfriend or what!!!! Thanks Donna, guess I have a renewed sense of my birthday, wink wink......
We landed next at The Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington meeting Ed and Gillian with grandson Anthony. A fabulous dinner was had by all with lots of conversation and laughter. My beers were compliments of the staff there. My kind of place! You can see the group in front of the limo above. Saying goodbye to Bob, Mike, Lisa, Ed, Gillian and Anthony, the rest of us headed out again this time to Waterbury finding The Alchemist Pub. After sampling new varieties and being bought one by a patron we headed home. What a day...worked all night, slept few minutes,brunch,limo ride, brewery tours and home again around 10:30 that night. Do I have the coolest girlfriend or what!!!! Thanks Donna, guess I have a renewed sense of my birthday, wink wink......
The calm before the storm is what you see here! Some how I convinced the boys to get a pedicure with me while we killed time waiting for a judges plane to land. All was going good till Brad and Ken went to get a beer while my toes dried. Brad being the great boyfriend he is offered to pay.
One of the best parts about PPANE is catching up with friends you don't get to see every day. This year was particularly special. Here are the roomy's with RICHARD! We all graduated from RISP and have kept in contact for the last 18 years. Gosh, that is more years then I want to admit to!
