My Birthday...Part One...:)

A little girl...who loved to color and draw...

eventually, after many, many years,

realized a lifelong dream

and moved out west

to Arizona.
Well...
that little girl celebrated a very significant birthday last week.
She started the day at Nick's Cafe...
a local diner hangout here in the West Valley.

Then she had a fun day shopping for

sacred hearts from San Miguel Allende, Mexico.

After that,
 a spur of the moment road trip

to Black Canyon City...just north of Phoenix

and the Rock Springs Cafe

for a slice of delicious homemade birthday pie...

(ala mode, of course)

sweetened the day even more.

The weather was spectacular...the beginning of tourist season

here in Arizona...

and the inevitable approach of cold, gray days

 up north.

There was even time for a bit of horseback riding...

before heading back down to the valley...

escorted by a gorgeous sunset.

The actual end of the day came accompanied by

a leisurely swim in the pool
and
a starlit soak in the hot tub.

(Sorry folks...no photos of that!)

Ahhh!

I love the simple, everyday pleasures and comforts of home

out here in the great west!...:)

More of my birthday adventures continue tomorrow...
(the artistic side...:)

"A birthday
is just the first day
of another 365-day journey around the sun.
 Enjoy the trip."
~Author Unknown