Being away from family on your birthday isn't always the easiest thing. However my friends and wonderful host family I have here made it a birthday I will never forget. :) I was very fortunate that my birthday fell in line with some days I was given off. Of course I had to use them wisely and did I ever! After a sleep in on Wednesday, I spent the day shopping with a new friend from choir and preparing for the big day ahead. It was nice having an easy day to prepare for some frivolity and fun. :)Midnight arrived and for the first time in my life, because of the time difference, I shared a birthday with my oldest bro for 13 hours. It was fun skying with my parents because they were still in my brother's birthday while I was in mine. lol Talking with my parents on my birthday was certainly highlight, but it was bittersweet as well. As soon as the call started, they started singing "Happy Birthday" to me. Normally I just roll my eyes and laugh at them when they sing (esp. my mom hahah), but this was different. For the first time ever, "Happy Birthday" made me teary eyed. To top it off, they even finished off the song in harmony. I miss my parents, but at least we've kept good communication and my mom bombarded me with birthday cards the week before my birthday. :) In the middle of chatting with my parents, I heard a knocking at the door and then Lawson proceeded to yell through the door "Happy Birthday, Allison!!! We have presents for you!!" I met him at the door and he presented me with 3 beautiful handmade cards and 2 books. The Kirby's have been such a blessing. The cards are now hanging in my room and the books are great keepsakes for when I get back to the states. However in the meantime I will have to use one book regularly as it is a foodie book for Perth. I must explore more great food places!! After a leisurely early morning, I invited Mara to join me in Freo for a bit of a girls' day. We shopped and visited the Fairy Shop (I wish we had one of those when I was little!) We even stopped for a birthday cino!
Onto the evening! Lara offered to host a party at her place and she even made me an Eeyore cake. Such a sweetheart! A small group of us gathered for a barbecue and cake. Then it was out for the evening. I had a great time with a couple of my choir girls and some new friends dancing the night away. I even had a late night kebab for the first time. Delicious!
A busy Thursday was followed by a relaxing day spent with 2 lovely ladies and an adorable tot at a few wineries in the Swan Valley. The valley is located just north of Perth and boasts some of the best wines of the area. They certainly did not disappoint! First stop was Lancaster wineries. Our host was fabulous and the wine was divine. I even treated myself to a lovely Chenin Blanc. Yum! Onto Brookleigh Estate for lunch at Stewart's - such a beautiful meal at a gorgeous venue. Since it was my birthday and I am in Australia, why not try something a little different and unique for lunch? So I did and the kangaroo fillet was amazing. The meat was so tender and juicy. It was served with a beetroot salad and topped with a fresh horseradish sauce and paired with a lovely Shiraz. So tasty! After some great conversation and stuffing ourselves with food, it was time for a coffee. We ventured to Mondo Nougat. Wow! So much nougat and so many flavors! I think we went through over 25 or 30 little bars of nougat between 3 adults and 1 child. :) After nougat and coffee we had to say our goodbyes to the little tike and mum, but my friend and I continued on to one last winery. Entering Houghton Winery you could really see that it's springtime in WA - wildflowers in bloom everywhere and birds chattering. It was a brief stop, but I did manage to pick up a lovely Semillon Savignon Blanc. :) Of course upon leaving the winery, we had to stop for a little photo shoot in the flowers and the vineyard. The day was absolutely gorgeous and I couldn't have asked for better company!
A birthday is only one day a year, but when it is shared with such amazing people, one might wish it to never end. This was a birthday I will never forget and enjoyed to the fullest. Thank you to all who made it a wonderful day. You are all such a blessing to have in my life!~A
