30th birthday

Turning 30 wasn't a depressing milestone for me like it is for some, I didn't even go into it thinking, wow I'm old. Maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that I had my first child at 19, and motherhood meant having new friends who were moms, and everyone always seemed to be 10 plus years older than me. Turning 30 meant finally joining the adult crowd, a club that felt like I had only been sneaking into since my 20's. So though I don't feel "old",  I finally feel like I belong, instead of the baby in social groups.

Mitch is always so good at treating me on special occasions, and on non special occasions as well! For my birthday we took a trip about an hour north of us to a winery called Horse Creek. We sampled different wines at the bar before taking our favorite glasses outside to a secluded place under a pergola in full view of the vineyard. Truly romantic!

For dinner we ate at Steel Magnolias on the rooftop in downtown Valdosta. The breeze was just right, live music was playing, the food and atmosphere was perfect. We drank wine and ate bruschetta as appetizers. For dinner I had roasted duck,, and for dessert we ate a banana pudding creme brûlée. Everything tasted amazing.

After dinner and dessert we took a small walk around downtown. Of course everything was closed, but we ran into a cigar bar, and feeling nostalgic we decided to stop by and give it a try. Neither of us has ever smoked, nor do we ever plan on taking this up as a habit, but it just felt like something fun and adventurous to experience together. 

The owner of the bar gave us a tour of the bar, showing off the different cigars as we picked each flavor up to smell and decide which one was right for us. I picked a cigar out of a category that the owner said most women who came in enjoyed. It was a mixture of vanilla, Java, and mint. I can't remember the cigar Mitch picked out, but it was big, fat, and strong. As a beginner, he felt it best to chose an expert cigar. 

The owner showed us how to properly light the cigar, how to puff, and not to inhale. We had fun puffing on our cigars, pretending like maybe we were some 1920s gangsters. We didn't finish them, but enjoyed the fun that we had.

Turning 30 was great and I feel so blessed to be growing old with Mitch.