Hello Monday - BIRTHDAY BOURBON WEEKEND EDITION

And another year gone by!  Blogging is fun because there are several years I can look back on - and more that I can't - ha!  Different seasons and all.

Last year was 53 - glad these details were recorded

Two years ago we were doing all the same things - Super Bowl last night (but no spread this year), a puzzle is out, reading a good book - this time it's fiction, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, I worked today - just online with my team and no big birthday celebrations like they did at NBZ, and a single picture at lunch with Stephen :)

The year I turned 50 

The year I was 45 

Looks like Stephen was my Picture of the Day that year too!

I had 10 February posts in 2013, including a birthday post!  Wow, I can't believe how dark my hair was (without coloring!) 13 years ago.  Time flies - glad to have the details recorded here.  

I'm glad I blogged about my 40th birthday - I always think of it as one of my favorites.  And I wrote in the post that I really think I will *like* being 40. . .when people ask my favorite decade (so far) I always say my 40's.  Funny, I just wore those boots last week, wondering if they needed to be re-soled again and believe I wore those same pants with them too - ha!

These 39 things for my 39th birthday - interesting list for sure.  I doubt I did half of them - ha!

This is funny - the first year I had a blog I didn't blog about my birthday on my birthday - but I did a post anyway!!  2010 - it was just 16 years ago but how things have changed!!  Fun to catch up. . .

Anyway, started my birthday weekend off with lunch with my good friend Jerry on Friday - we both have February birthdays but he wanted to treat. . .so, like Stephen today, I let him :)

We worked together at Mesa (my first training job!) and have stayed in touch over the years.  I left Mesa before he retired and then went back for his party - he was asking me for this picture recently:  

 This was 2023.

Anyway, we try to have lunch together every 4-ish weeks - it's fun to have to have friends from all walks/times of my life :)

The kids (and Tom) gave me my birthday gift a couple of weeks ago because they, like me, like to give a gift when they get it - not wait!!  I looked back and don't have any pictures. . .not a shock, since I'm the one who takes them.  Anyway, they upgraded my phone and case and screen protectors. . .they had me completely covered.  I've appreciated the upgraded camera so much!!  

Here are the details of the weekend:

- Friday we got off work a bit early and drove to Lexington to meet our friends there - everyone arrived between 4 and 7 p.m.

- We sat in the lobby and caught up, I gave them their gifts (personalized bourbon glasses and ice molds) for the weekend trip and had snacks then headed out for a late drink/dinner

- Saturday morning Tom and I headed down to the lobby early for breakfast, then back to our room to watch some Olympics before heading out for the day

- We used Kentucky Bourbon Boys as our tour guide - they let us pick the distilleries we wanted to visit,  a great guide, Roger, picked us up, took care of booking all of our tickets/tours, ordered and brought us lunch, and got us back to the hotel 8 hours later.  Highly recommend this group!!

- First stop was Buffalo Trace - most like what we experienced in Ireland at the Jameson distillery.  We stocked up on their bourbon since it is very hard to find around here - we have to stalk Total Wine and get up there for their one shipment a month - ha!  We mentioned this on our tour and the guide was not surprised.  After everything we tried this weekend, it still remains our favorite.

- Roger brought us our lunch after the tour and we ate onsite upstairs where they had a cocktail bar.

- From there we went to Woodford Reserve - a completely different experience. . .they are looking for the higher-end crowd, building their distillery/business with that in mind.  I had a delicious old fashioned there (our drink of choice almost always) but it was too sweet for Tom - they used chocolate bitters in it.  I bought some of their cherries to use in our cocktails at home :)

- The tour group gave us a choice for the last stop - they would buy us cocktails at Four Roses or we could do a tour at Bluegrass Distillery.  We chose the latter and I think it was a GREAT choice!  A much, much smaller operation but we got to see everything from all the vats to the bottling area and then Susan and Connie both bottled their own bourbon straight from the barrel to take home!  This was our least favorite bourbon straight-up so Tom and I sat at the bar and shared an old fashioned and talked to the bartender.  It was a great way to cap off the day.

- We got back to the hotel, had an hour (a few of us napped!) and then headed out for dinner. Susan had made reservations at District 7 Social.  The food was nothing special but the atmosphere was fun!  They had duck pin bowling (I think that's what it was?) and a live sports announcer on-site.  Tennessee was playing Kentucky that evening and everyone was looking forward to the game.  We had proudly worn all our TN gear during the day but were more dressed up for the evening out.  We did let the radio people know there were Vols in the house though!

- District 7 Social also had a speakeasy of sorts - the Book Club Wine Room.  It was a "secret" room where we ended up watching most of the game - just the seven of us and there was also a ladies night out group in there with us.  It was really quiet (except for the game on) and a nice place to end the night.

- We got back to the hotel just in time for the last two minutes of a very disappointing game (depending if you were wearing blue or orange).  Of course the game right before it - both blue! - NC State and Duke - THAT was an exciting finish too!!

- Sunday we slept in (or slept in for us. . .730!!) and then all had breakfast together.  We played cards for an hour or so then got on our phones to decide what to do next.  

- We ended up at the James E. Pepper Distillery and it might have been my favorite :). Our favorite old fashioned was made there, with a LEMON and rye whisky, neither of which we would ever choose but LOVED together.  After the tour we tried an old fashioned with their bourbon and much preferred the rye so brought some of that home :). We had lunch at a place the tour guide there had recommended (all in the cool Lexington Distillery District) and parted ways.  It was truly a terrific weekend :)

Look at that parking lot - a SHEET of ice!!  We had dinner across on the other side the night before.  They said the city had run out of salt and it's been like that for two weeks.  Terrible - VERY hard to walk on/through.  Their temperatures should warm up this week to finally melt it all. 

Linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday - it might be 9 p.m. but it's still Monday!!

I thought I might have done all this during the Super Bowl but I pretty much just stayed in one place before heading to bed before the end.  Not the best game this year - congrats to the Seahawks!

Thanks for sharing my birthday weekend with me,

Love,

Jenni