Celebrating A Birthday

During our first two spring seasons in North Carolina, we were blessed with wonderful weather during the month of March. Unfortunately, the weather has been lousy for at least 2-3 months now, leaving us kind of down.  March has not been a kind month on several counts, but with April approaching and the forecast looking like spring might finally be in our future, we are ready to emerge from hibernating.  While we've been to a few new restaurants (which I will post about soon), the highlight of month was my birthday.  

Just before the big day, I received several cards from my family, beautiful flowers from my brother, and lillies to plant in the yard from Colin.

Birthday cards and flowers

Then, on my actual birthday we were blessed with a beautiful day (the only one we've really had all month!). The forecast was for temperatures to reach the 70's and it was going to be sunny and windy. We decided to get out of Raleigh and take a trip to the beach.  The closest one is Wrightsville Beach, but we rarely go there because they don't allow dogs during peak season. Since it was still off season, we decided to check it out.

Enjoying the sun on Wrightsville Beach

The temperature was warm and reached into the mid 60's, but there was a strong breeze off the water that made it cool to just sit around.  Thankfully, I had a sweatshirt and pants with me, which allowed me to be more comfortable.  Darwin and Colin seemed to enjoy the day and the view.  One of my favorite sights is watching Darwin's ears flop in the wind.

After spending the peak warm hours beachfront, we decided to head inland to Wilmington to try a highly reviewed restaurant called Flaming Amy's Burrito Bar.  There were lots of people eating there when we arrived, which we took to be a good sign. Unfortunately, they don't really have a website, but the name of the restaurant told us what to expect.

Colin opted for their special, spicy burrito, while I went more basic with a chicken burrito with typical toppings (guacamole, tomatoes, cheese sour cream, etc).  We were each given a huge burrito that was filled to the max along with a hearty portion of tortilla chips.  The chips were pretty bland (not salty like usual) and we ended up giving most to Darwin, who joined us out on the patio.  Colin's spicy burrito was very flavorful (but a bit too spicy for me). It was also packed with lots of meat and beans. My burrito preparer didn't do that great a job, and apparently I started eating the end with the toppings. It wasn't until I got halfway into the burrito that I reached the chicken.  Thankfully, the burrito itself was very tasty, and the bottom half was packed with chicken, which quickly filled me up.

Our hearty burritos and chips

Digging into Colin's spicy burrito (left) and 

my chicken burrito - before I got to the meat (right)

After dinner, we made our way back home.  While I love being at the beach and enjoying the sun, sand, and water, at the end of the day, I really enjoy a nice shower and my own bed.  We were a little bummed that we missed temperatures in the 70's back in Raleigh and the forecast changed to indicate it would not be as windy at the beach the following day, but hindsight is always 20-20 and it was still nice to get away for the day.

My birthday celebration weekend ended with a nice 2-mile walk to one of the Triangle's best bakeries for brunch on Sunday. It was a lovely morning and Colin, Darwin, and I built up our appetite during the walk and enjoyed the delicious food on the covered patio.  Overall, the weekend was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday.