a ruffles rendezvous

Truth be told, I love a good celebration. Have I ever made that clear?? The extended birthday celebration was held in Birmingham, Alabama this past weekend and it was fab-u-lous {despite the fact that we all had the sniffles and sneezes}!! The entourage was top-notch and included sister, Lane, Heather Lane, Jill and Hill{ary} - a.k.a. The Ruffles.

The Tallahassee crew arrived late Friday night but it was full speed ahead Saturday {mid-} morning. Hillary arrived early Saturday morning from Huntsville to spend the day with us and we were so glad she did. First things first, Heather Lane and I were serenaded with Happy Birthday and blew out candles on our Cake Shop cupcakes {which both Lane and I brought a 1/2 dozen cupcakes unbeknownst to eachother}! Then we trotted off to lunch at Bottega and it was di-vine. 3 of the 6 of us had the wood-fired pizza with chicken, arugula, sweet peppers, fontina cheese, and tomato chutney. Their tea is delicious too and is the most popular in town. It is served only unsweetened but with a small carafe of mint simple syrup on the side....add a twist of lemon and you're set. Next we were off to the shops of downtown Homewood. We have several favorites and frequented them all. We chatted, giggled, and blew our noses through them all - equally leaving with a new marvy treasure or two.

Have your ever been to a Yogurt Mountain? Jill spotted one on our way to the Summit and all she had to say was "yogurt" and we said "yes!" Ok, let me tell you what an amazing place this is. There are numerous flavors of self-soft-serve to choose from and an even longer line of toppings. Your concoction is weighed at the register and that determines your price. Our treats ranged from $4-$7+...and so worth it! Truly a mountain of yogurt.

We shop hopped our way through The Summit as the rain came down. After a long day of shopping and dressing room modeling we were anxious to sit down for an enjoyable dinner. We went to La Paz in Mountain Brook and had the most entertaining time. As mentioned before, I've deemed it "the Latinos of Birmingham" and it did not let us down. I think we laughed more in the two hours at dinner than anyone should be allowed. Of course, a good end to one's night is always a stop at Starbucks. We were beat!

Sunday morning brought a delicious brunch at Chez Lulu in Mountain Brook. We treated ourselves to hot chocolate with whipped cream, coffee, chocolate croissants, fromage blanc crepes with blueberry sauce, pear crepes, and a round of roasted garlic and cheddar cheese grits. Every bite was succulent and every bite closer to having to say goodbye to the Ruffles. Jill and Heather were heading back to Tennessee and me, sister, and Lane back to the Sunshine State. Our goodbyes were bittersweet and our birthdays complete. Until next time Ruffles!

january birthday girls

gifts and camellias {to make our hotel room look more homey}...
my friend kathryn glass painted the beautiful bucket for heather lane bruce

lunch

lane, heather lane, and jill

sister, mc {I look like rudolph!} and hillary

shopping and laughing in homewood

you guessed it...yogurt mountain!

satisfied

a store named after moi

shopping shananigans...

heather lane, mary lane, and mary caroline...we love our names :)

the sisters

brunch @ chez lulu

cheers to the ruffles!