Time for Tea!

Not to sound like a smug, self-satisfied b-word, but I have some pretty awesome friends.  Many of my friends are "lifers" meaning that they've been around for a long time and are going to be around somehow for the rest of my life.  They've been there for me through a lot and they know better than to put up with my special brand of B.S.

The weekend that is now over was a pretty low-key event, but that was cool with me.  Friday night I hung out with my parents and their dogs.  On Saturday, I took a little road trip with two of my friends to scenic Stillwater, MN for a birthday tea party celebration. 

Let's pause for a moment before you start to judge us.  You're probably thinking that a birthday tea party is the sort of thing that only seems appropriate for someone under 10 or over 70 years of age.  Wrong!  Going out to tea is freaking awesome and I hope that we continue to do this for birthdays in the future. 

First of all, tea is better for you than booze.  Maybe it's not as much fun as certain cocktails, but I've never had a hangover or made extremely regrettable decisions after a nice cuppa.  Second, if you do it up right in a proper tea room, you can make a meal out of it.  I'm talking soup, sandwiches, scones and dessert.  You may not think it could make you full, but go hungry and be prepared.

OK, so I am willing to concede that going to tea may not be the best option if your party includes men.  There was one man in the tea room on Saturday, but he was there with his wife and granddaughter.  I think he can be excused.

Are you still not convinced?  I guess there is just no helping you.  You must be so proud of your close-minded ways.

Moving on, tea was lovely but afterwards we decided to explore more of what Stillwater had to offer by way of shopping.  It was actually a fruitful day for me in that regard as well.  I found a new super-awesome wallet, some octopus earrings, a Valentine's Day headband, some sweet buttons and last but not least a t-shirt that totally fits in with my previous blog entry.  How?  It is simple yet perfect.

I realized that the nature of the writing on the t-shirt did not lend itself easily to verbal description, so I had to illustrate.

So that was my fun weekend activity.  I should perhaps earmark for a future entry the story of past birthday outings for this friend.  In fact, these stories would perhaps give you a better idea of why a tea party turned out to be such a relaxing and welcome event.  That should give you something to look forward to, right?

This weekend promises to be even more eventful than a tea party.  It is my brother's golden birthday (28) and in honor of this I am traveling to lovely Madison, WI with my parents (and their dogs) to celebrate with him.  Oh, and we're going to see Ben Folds in concert!!!!!  More on this later.  For now, enjoy the relative warmth of the day (at 25 degrees Fahrenheit).