The Birthday Hat & The Date That Never Happened

Thursday was my (infamous) birthday, and it appears that I mostly managed to escape my normal bad luck spell: I did not have to work, there were no trips to the emergency room, and there was only one minor instance with a sick animal (ok, I cried for two days straight over that one, but thankfully it happened on SUNDAY, and the animal ended up not being as ill as it could have been!). All in all, not too bad for me!

Thursday morning began with the normal family breakfast and packs of marauding kittens demanding food crumbs and attention. After which, I raced off to the local Aveda salon for a cut 'n' color. I have missed being a "true" redhead so much, and I decided it was time to lop off my long locks and go for something far shorter and much redder. I jokingly call it "Channeling Joan." After my appointment, Ryan and I had drinks & lunch with Friend David at 38 Central. We wandered around a few antique stores and bought Ryan a new old "toyl," and on the way home we decided to stop by a new-ish antique store in Jacksonville that we hadn't been to in months. Well, it was there that I discovered The Hat. And not just any hat - my super-awesome, totally borderline, ridiculously-feathered, BIRTHDAY Hat! I had been yearning for a hat worthy of a good birthday, and this was it! At first, I had been occupied with a silly (but somewhat beat-up) 1940s black velvet tilt hat with an ostrich feather. It was fun, but at $65 it was a bit expensive for something that had seen better days (and I have never been a fan of ostrich feathers on hats). Well, I set the hat down and was pondering it when I looked across the shop. There, at the very top of a display cabinet, I saw MY hat. It was gorgeous! I asked Ryan to get it for me (thank goodness for tall husbands), and when I tried it on we both looked at each other and said, "This needs to come home with us!" The shopkeeper had told us it was more expensive than the other hat I had just been looking at, so as I reluctantly turned it over to look at the price tag, I was expecting something in the $120 range...instead, the $75 price tag seemed like an answer to my prayers! Yippee! So, of course the hat came home with me! It even matched my outfit!

Later, Ryan and I got all dressed up to go out on an evening date, but we were still SO full from lunch at 38 Central that we ended up canceling our reservation, changing into sweatpants, and hanging out at home. I know, we must sound pretty lame, but it was the best way to end a wonderful birthday that I could think of! We did make sure to take pictures of us dressed up though...just to have as proof that we DO clean up well! *grin*