As I have been adjusting to my new surroundings and new home, I have been struck by how much I have clung to various traditions of life in the states. Growing up, my mom and dad would always start my brother's and mine birthday celebrations with a longjohn donut and chocolate milk from DunkinDounts. As I have celebrated more birthdays, this tradition had matured into an iced coffee and muffin with my folks. Well in a completely new place where just about everything seems foreign, I revisited my childhood birthday tradition. There is no DunkinDonuts in Durham, but there is a KrispyKreme Donut. It was such a happy surprise! Even though DunkinDonuts was my preferred donut maker while living in the states, I was more than willing to celebrate my birthday with a chocolate-frosted sprinkle donut from KrispyKreme and an iced coffee chiller.
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| Not the healthiest birthday meal...but definitely a taste of home! |
The weather forecast had called for a significantly gloomy day with loads of rain; however, the day turned out to be gorgeous. The sun shined the majority of the day. I took advantage of the lovely British weather and walked to the Durham city center. I tried a cupcake shop in the Durham Marketplace for lunch. I stopped in and enjoyed a sandwich, cupcake, and a pot of tea. It was a lovely way to celebrate my first English birthday!
I spent the majority of the day doing things that I love...reading a good book in a lovely English pub garden, walking around the city, looking at Pinterest, reading blogs, eating a delicious dinner with AJ, and talking to my family. Not a bad first English birthday in my book!
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| A great way to celebrate my first English birthday...tea and a cupcake! |
I spent the majority of the day doing things that I love...reading a good book in a lovely English pub garden, walking around the city, looking at Pinterest, reading blogs, eating a delicious dinner with AJ, and talking to my family. Not a bad first English birthday in my book!
Before we left the states, AJ had bought my birthday present (since it would be cheaper there!), so I have known about it for two weeks. Even though I have known that he was giving me a very nice DSLR camera, I refused to use it and learn about it until my birthday! So today, I took the camera out of the box and started fiddling with the settings and learning about it. I am quite excited about this present for two specific reasons! First, it will give me something to occupy my time learning in the initial months of our new life in the UK. Secondly, it will allow us to properly document all of the beauty we will see on our European adventure. It is bound to take better pictures than my iPhone...or at least I hope!!
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| A great present from AJ! |
AJ had planned a few birthday surprises for me. We went for our usual walk around Durham city center before heading to our dinner reservations. We had a tasty dinner at Bella Italia, which may quickly become a new favorite!
As I was mulling over the dessert options, two of the wait staff appeared singing with a cake and candles! It was quite a fun surprise. German chocolate cake has long been my favorite cake. AJ searched high and low, questioned his British co-workers, and even googled it, but German chocolate cake does not exist in the UK! With no possibility of German chocolate cake, he went with the next best thing...double chocolate cake! It was a great and tasty dessert to end the evening! As AJ was researching cake options and questioning his coworkers, one of the guys stated, "Here, kids get cake, wives get cards!" Well, the cake was a definite hit with this wife! AJ's thoughtfulness over all the little details for my birthday definitely warmed my heart!
As I think about my next year of life, I consistently think about how this upcoming year will be so unique and unlike any of my previous years! This trip around the sun will hopefully include numerous weekend trips to see the incredible sights of the UK and some trips to mainland Europe. Over the next twelve months, hopefully, all the aspects of British life that seem overwhelming and foreign right now will become routine and typical. I am sure this trip around the sun will offer remarkable experiences as well as new obstacles to conquer. As hard as it is to celebrate my birthday away from my family and friends, I am grateful for the opportunities AJ and I will be afforded by this experience!
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| Having a tasty birthday dinner at a corner table overlooking the river! |
As I was mulling over the dessert options, two of the wait staff appeared singing with a cake and candles! It was quite a fun surprise. German chocolate cake has long been my favorite cake. AJ searched high and low, questioned his British co-workers, and even googled it, but German chocolate cake does not exist in the UK! With no possibility of German chocolate cake, he went with the next best thing...double chocolate cake! It was a great and tasty dessert to end the evening! As AJ was researching cake options and questioning his coworkers, one of the guys stated, "Here, kids get cake, wives get cards!" Well, the cake was a definite hit with this wife! AJ's thoughtfulness over all the little details for my birthday definitely warmed my heart!
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| Double chocolate cake was a yummy substitution for German chocolate cake! |
At the end of the day, this birthday was different from all my previous birthdays, but just as special and memorable. If you are ever in our neck of the woods celebrating another trip around the sun, stop by because the lights will always be on...and we might even have a KrispyKreme sprinkled donut waiting for you!
~W
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