I woke up Monday morning filled with grand plans of how to celebrate my birthday. I was excited to unveil my 32 Things Before Turning 32 as well as the summary of my 31 Things. I was looking forward to a day with Tracy and Anna, starting with breakfast and then an Impressionism exhibit and definitely a cupcake or three.
I got out of bed luxuriously, a leisurely way to begin this day off, and then shuffled to peak outside the front door. Where this awaited me.
I knew that there was the possibility of snow but I had been hopeful it was a false alarm. It wasn't and we all know that Tennessee does not view snow the way Illinois does.
Ever since I was a little girl, I've had bad weather luck on my birthday. When I turned 2, the negative 20 degree, negative 80 windchill conditions kept all party-goers away. The year I turned 17, many area schools were closed because of icy roads and snow, although my school had stayed open. Luckily, most of my friends were still able to come to my party, although I question why parents let anyone out on the road. Canceled parties, no-show guests, changed plans...my birthday has seen it all. I had hoped that moving to a warmer state would end this bad run. Alas, January 10 has proved the location does not matter when it comes to bad weather.
Never mind that it wasn't snowing during the day. The two inches of snow shut down schools and many businesses. There went my plans to go to the Frist and The Cupcake Collection. Tracy and Anna were ready to forge ahead with Plan B. Luckily, Pancake Pantry was still open and we didn't even have to wait in line!
A little background on this picture. First, Tracy gave me that fantastic purple cardigan for my birthday because a) she loves me b) she knows I'm a sweater whore and c) it's so dang perfect for me! Second, I'm holding a tray of sugar packets. In high school, college, and let's face it, just a month ago, my best friends and I would play the Sugar Packet Game. This involved trying to toss a sugar packet into each others, um, assets. Should I be ashamed that we roped our guy friends into playing along and that we found the whole thing to be both funny and innocent? In any case, Tracy and I did not play the Sugar Packet Game this morning.
Hello, Pecan Pancakes! These pancakes were quite delicious. Don't you love the slab of butter on the side? Pancake Pantry is a Nashville Original and thus counts toward my 32 Things (#26). Pancake Pantry strikes me as any other diner but it seems to have taken on a mythological status among Nashvillains and tourists alike.
Onward with Plan B of the birthday plans. They involved watching Anna frolic in the snow and some Red Box movies.
Seriously, this little girl makes Plan B great. Even if she was especially wild and rascally that day- she gave me enough spontaneous hugs to make up for it!
It was a great birthday altogether. Tracy, thanks for making it great and for spending the whole day with me! You are the bestest of best friends and I'm so glad that we're just blocks away from each other now.
