I woke up this morning with the most grateful, thankful, appreciative heart after spending an amazing weekend with the best group of friends one could ever hope to have, not to mention my loving parents and thoughtful husband.  Side note:  this new Lilly espresso mug (came in a set of four) really made me happy this morning.  These were a birthday gift from my mom.

I turned the big 4-0 Friday and although my birthday celebration wasn’t a surprise per se, I had NO idea the hubs and his best buddy had been covertly working their booties off to plan the perfect itinerary for the weekend.  Did I mention that my dear friend Casey turned 40 Saturday?  What are the odds?!?!  When we realized several months ago that our birthdays were on a weekend we knew we needed to do something special, but our husbands took control and we didn’t have to do a thing.  Party planning is definitely not something either of these guys have ever really done, so to have everything go so smoothly and have every.last.detail handled so perfectly made the event even sweeter.

We arrived at Hotel Domestique in Traveler’s Rest mid afternoon Friday and immediately headed to the pool for some relaxation before the evening festivities.  My parents stayed at my house to wrangle the gremlins and furry children.  I kind of didn’t know what to do with myself at a pool without children!  Rest assured, I made do.Friday evening consisted of the most delicious meal at Restaurant 17 with all of my Greenville loves and a few Atlanta friends sprinkled in for good measure.  Casey and I were blown away by the menu, flowers, cakes, guests and roasts!  This Lilly inspired Notre Dame cake is EVERYTHING.  Lemon flavored and tasted as wonderful as it looked.My friend, Jess, performed a hilarious rendition of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air all about Casey and me.  I had no idea she was so talented.  Again, mad props to this guy for all of his hard work.

Admittedly, our picture taking took a huge nosedive after Friday’s dinner.  We stayed around Hotel Domestique’s fire pit until 2 AM Friday night/Saturday morning.  Don’t ask me why.  I guess we were having too much fun!  Needless to say, this bed was super inviting by the time we made our way to our rooms.The rooms and bathrooms at Hotel  Domestique are all very comfortable and plush.  Also, a fully stocked pantry is available to guests 24/7.  The bottled waters, hydration mix packets and trail mix came in super handy as we tried to get ready for another day of debauchery Saturday morning.  Also worth mentioning, breakfast was included in our package and, although I don’t have any pictures for proof, it was delicious.  Egg white omelets with goat cheese and peppers?  Chocolate scones?  Shrimp and grits?  Ham sandwiches?  Parfaits with granola and berries?  Yes, please!Not everyone was able to stick around for Saturday’s escapades and our smaller crew was definitely a little tamer than the Friday night group, but just as much fun was had.  We were whisked away in a limo to Burntshirt Winery for our first excursion.  The wine tasting far exceeded my expectations!  I honestly do not know much about North Carolina wines, but I figured they would pale in comparison to our Napa tastings.  Wrong!  Burntshirt has some delicious wines and they only use grapes grown on their own acreage.  Hardly any pictures, but you can see how pretty the weather was.  My favorite wine of the day was the Chardonnay, which is surprising, since I rarely order Chardonnay.

After the winery, we moseyed over to Sierra Nevada Brewery.  Most of us had been before and it’s always a good time.  As we all know, their beer is phenomenal, but did you know that the food at the brewery is just as good?  I dream about the pretzels and beer cheese.  Sierra Nevada is dog and kid friendly, with lots of green spaces and live music.  Consider yourself warned, however:  it’s beyond crowded on weekends.  We had to wait quite a long time for a table.  Totally worth it, though.  Like I said, our camera skills dropped off drastically by Saturday and I do not have a single picture of our time at the brewery.  I also don’t have any pictures of our second amazing dinner at Restaurant 17 Saturday night.  I’m bummed about that, but it was really nice to totally unplug and be in the moment with some of my nearest and dearest.  I’m actually not even certain I bothered to take my phone to dinner.  I need to do that more often.

Our friends were asked not to bring gifts, but of course they all did.  Naughty girls!  The ladies picked out some seriously fun items for Casey and me, but I think this wine bottle takes the cake.  Casey received one with her picture as well and they are hilarious.  And the wine is good!  Also, good news:  I finally got my 1973 Ford Bronco.

I can’t even begin to convey how much this weekend meant to me.  I love all of you!  We need to make this a quarterly event, am I right?