It's Michael's Birthday! Yes friends, on October 7th, many MANY years ago, my sweet husband was born! The world got a bit brighter, and much happier on that day! To clelebrate his life I have planned a whole day, and he was able to get off work and enjoy a day with his biggest fan...his wife :)
So I had a whole day planned, which he was unaware of. I sent the itinerary out to his friends so they could meet us at any time if the wanted to. It was all a surprise to him, but he was ready for anything!
It started early with a free cupon for an iced coffee at McDonalds!
You can see the sunlight off the roof. It was an amazing sunny day! perfect for the festivities!
He was dubious that it was really free. But alas! it was!
Michael got a monopoly game board as it starts in october and has become a sort of tradition for us to play on his birthday. It brought back many fun memories of playing on his birthday in years past.
With his sweet morning treat in hand, we moved on to more fun!
He drove and drank and was happy doing so. Coffee is always a great start to any day. Especially free coffee.
We have not been able to spend an entire day, no work, together in about 4 months! It was so exciting to know the whole day was set aside purely for fun and celebrating my best friend!
After the coffee stop we went to Henpeck market. It is an old gas station in which the family that owns it turned the inside to a shop/ restaurant, and the top to a shop. I have been told for many months by many people that I should check this place out, and so I thought today, with Michael, would be the best opportunity!
The second floor of the market used to be where the owners lived. But when they moved, they turned it into "the loft". It is a trendy store filled with local handmade goods.
The exterior of the store was super country cute. It had much to see and experience. The decor was natural and effortless. It just looked like you were visiting a friend in their southern home. It was very welcoming.
Their fall decor was up and ushering the season in.
The birthday boy and I about to go inside!
I love this photo. The colors were so much brighter than this picture tells. But the festive wreath was so fun!
Immediately inside we were greeted by the owner, who was busy in the kitchen. A WONDERFUL smell hit us in the face, and we did not mind. It smelled like a grandma's kitchen on a family sunday. It was one of those smells that made your soul smile....and your belly growl.
The owner told us to make sure we went outside to see the garden, and with our new found love for gardening ourselves, we headed straight there!
"Simplify" has been a word Michael and I have been living by for a while now, and it was great to snap this photo to encourage that.
In looking around the shop again, we forgot that it was a gas station! We were lost in the smell and the scene!
There were tables that you could enjoy all the soul satisfying smells. Each table had unique painted chairs, and there were many fun decorations throughout the store.
True statement...
"simply living life".... something Team Oakley goes for.
After looking around down stairs we headed up to the loft to look around.
The stairs up were old and full of character, and everything from the paint color to the wall decor was exciting and fun!
Inside was chalk full of creative, crafty items for sale. The owners maintained much of the integrity of the old house, so you would go room to room and there was different themes in each one. Michael and I separately got lost in the world of cutsie items, and had to find each other after a while.
This bathroom was filled with lavender. It smelled so good and comforting, it was where I and my "super sniffer" (as michael has affectionately named my extremely sensitive sense of smell) was drawn to right away.
There was so many fun things to look at and experience. We recommend the loft to any and all who live in and around Nashville!
Then we went outside to the garden and to see the chickens. The back yard was done very minimally, but it was so serene and peaceful!
Do you see what I mean about the simplicity of the decorating? It was very easy and comfortable. It was so welcoming! I told michael that I could just live in this back yard!
Michael and I have always said how fun it would be when we own a place out here to have chickens for the eggs. So it was especially fun to see this chicken coop with all the talkative critters inside!
As we were leaving and saying goodbye and thank you to the owner and the family, Michael came across this 'all things coke' poster and got excited! He has not been able to drink soda lately per our dentist, but I told him today he should have one. It is his birthday after all, so this poster got him all the more excited to enjoy his all time favorite beverage.
After the Henpeck Market adventure we went to get lunch at Five guys burgers. For those on the west coast, it is the closet thing to inn and out that we have out here. Michael even thinks it's better! Gasp!
They only offer a few items, and everything is very fresh and awesome. It was voted best burger in town for three years straight by Nashville Scene magazine. Folks around here agree it is something special. When you walk in you are hit with the smell of the fries. It is happiness, and it is where Michael wanted to go to on his special day.
Many of his friends took their lunch to drive and meet us for lunch. Michael's parents also made time to come down and share in the fun. They gave michael his gift there. It was Mario galaxy 2. A video game that he has been wanting for a while. Good food, a coke, his good friends, his family, me, and now a video game. Michael Oakley was a happy man. A happy man indeed.
This is a photo of one of his bestest man friends out here, Brian Jones, who also came down to help Michael celebrate becoming an old man.
After lunch we headed to the west end, also called Hillsboro village. I had only recently discovered this super swanky and hipster part of town weeks before. I could not believe I had not been there before! The shops are super cool, modern, and right up our style ally. After my discovery of my now favorite place to shop in Nashville, I knew that I had to take Michael.
On the way there, he saw an Army surplus store and asked if we could go in and look around. My response? "IT"S YOUR BIRTHDAY! WE CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!"
So we went in, and had way more fun that should be allowed in an Army surplus store.
But we did not get kicked out, so I guess it was not too much fun :)
I told Michael to make a meaner face....
this is what I got :)
me: "I look like him right?"
After our army adventure we parked in the west end and walked around. Michael forgot his sunglasses at home, so he went with mine, and went fabulous in Hillsboro village.
The first shop we went to was a glasses store called 'see'. They have really cool and trendy frames, and we had a blast trying them all on.
I really liked these on Michael! they may be the winners.
Although these ones were pretty fantastic too....
Then we went next door to a store called 'fire finch'. They have some cats inside that roam free, and they are very friendly.
The greeted Michael instantly as he walked in the door. I hear they can sense a good spirit in someone.
There were immediately best friends.
Michael - "don't be jealous"
I had fun trying on some super cute hats.
And the kitty would not leave Michael alone! He was in love!
He wanted to have some of Michael's coke :)
Have you ever seen that depiction of Christ bridging the gap between us and sin? I think it should be re done, what do you think?
The shops were right by Vanderbuilt university.
This was a fun florist shop that we visited. It had many of my favorites in: Orchids!
Then we went to 'A thousand faces' to get Michael's birthday gift. I had drawn him a portrait of an owl and gave it to him the night before as a gift, but this was the main one that I had wanted to get him for months!
I coffee stained some stationary for Michael, and then got him a seal and wax that he is picking out in this photo. He loves the dignity of a wax and seal, and I wanted to make that happen for him.
'O' for Oakley and some dark gold wax. He's fancy, so very fancy!
We had SUCH a great time shopping around, and we were ready for our next fun stop! But in checking out at the last store, Michael realized that he did not have his wallet. Being that he was doing the driving for the day, and needed his ID for later, we made an addendum to the day and went home to retrieve his wallet. It was not planned, but we made the most of the drive back home from downtown.
Michael always says, "Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape."
When we were in town, another one of Michael's best guys out here, Jeff Boggs called him and asked if he could make some time at Starbucks. Michael asked me what I thought about yet another change in the scheduled day, and I replied with: "IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! WE CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!" That is the beauty of having all day, you can make room for fun things that come up! So Michael spent some time with Jeff, who got him a birthday white chocolate mocha (Michael's favorite, just incase anyone ever wants to surprise him on a chilly day or an early morning. White Chocolate mocha, all the way). A birthday while chocolate mocha is much like a normal white chocolate mocha, but with an added shot of fun. Ask your local barista for it on your next birthday :)
After the birthday white chocolate mocha (added shot of fun) and with the wallet in pocket, we headed back up to Nashville to go to the park.
The drive was brilliant, as always, and we listened to our favorite radio station, lightening 100 (100.1 fm) the whole way. We enjoyed the windows down, and singing to the tunes. Michael got in some good dash drumming as well.
He stopped briefly to enjoy all the birthday wishes via text and facebook. He felt loved, as he should. Being away from many people that he cares for, it is things like that which makes San Diego feel not so far away.
The 'plan' for the next part of the day was to go to Centennial park, and relax while we wait for a free concert on the green which was happening that evening. What was not planned was the concert not being at Centennial park. We drove around, saw the amazing parthenon, and had a good time searching for the concert.
Eventually (with the power of technology though the existence of the iphone) we found where in nashville the concert was going to be, picked up some dinner on the way, and plotted our spot on the grass about an hour before the concert was set to begin. It was on the grass in front of the Nashville court house, a pretty cool setting for a free concert.
The concert was put on by our favorite radio station, lightning 100. It was Band of horses, and we were super excited.
But before it started, I had one more little surprise. Michael and I both love tattoos, and want them (or more of them). So we had some time, and markers, to goof around and see what some would look like. We laid a blanket and some pillows down, and went to work on creating tattoos for each other. We are no where near professional, but we had a GREAT time doodling.
Michael informed me after I drew this "music note" that it made no sense in the actual world of music. Opps, my bad.
So I tired to make it better with some vines and flowers (I was going for a super manly tattoo) and eventually I gave up. It was ruined from the beginning.
Michael has wanted an oak tree on his forearm for a couple of years now. It has a bunch of meaning to him. You should ask him about it sometime.
I tried to show him how it would look, but again, did not think about it enough before I started, and eventually just let the hope go. Like I said before, I am far from professional. But I had a good time.
Then it was his turn. He drew this awesome bird on my upper right chest. I really loved it, and he had an awesome time trying to do it. The freckle added some character :)
After the bird, Michael asked me to do an owl on his arm. Like I said before, I drew him a whole portrait of an owl for his birthday and framed it. Owls are a special symbol to us. There is some that come and stay in the tree above our bedroom window, barn owns mate for life. So they represent something special and long lasting for us. So per his request, I did my magic.
He liked it, and kept telling people he had a tattoo, and seeing if they noticed it was a faker.
The first band went on, and kicked back to enjoy the music, the night, and our time together.
It was the first time in a very long time that we felt like we were on a date. A real, live, date.
This was a water feature near the concert, that I thought was very fun. We love being down town and seeing sights like this one.
After this concert, a good friend of Michael's was on tour and stopped in Nashville with his bad, and we were able to see him play. He plays Keys, mandolin, guitar, and sings back up for Cory Morrow, a country singer out of Texas. We got the the show about an hour early, and went with Nick, Michael's friend, to Aladins, a hookah bar next door. We sat and chatted for a while, and michael got to catch up with Nick, who he had not seen in many months. After the show (which ended in the wee hours of the morning) we headed home to grab some sleep before we we dove back into the reality of our busy lives the next day. We were both exhausted, but so happy at how the day was full of memories and a sense of closeness between us.
It was a great adventure celebrating my loving hubby. We look forward to having many many more birthday celebrations with each other.
Thanks for sharing his day with us!
Until the next adventure!
Team Oakley
