How I spent my birthday

Last week I celebrated my birthday with a delightful day. The boys and I spent the day at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Created in 1868, LP Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the country. This free zoo is located very close to the heart of the city. We began our day with a paddle boat ride in the lagoon (something I've always wanted to do, but never made the time...)

The boys did all the paddling, while I enjoyed the ride.

Next was lunch at Cafe Brauer built in 1908 in the arts and crafts style. Finally the animals... Both domestic:

And wild:

This forlorn gorilla was sad that the boys wouldn't share their icecream...

I received some money as a birthday gift and decided to spend some of it on this incredible work of art! (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

Isn't it just incredible?! I have a small collection of folk art Adam & Eve in our master bedroom and think this is the crown jewel! La Donna Welter is an incredible artist in scherenschnitte and vintage photo-oil and hand grains her frames as well. Her blog is featured in the list to the left. You can see her website here:

http://www.ladonna-welter.com/

Saturday starts my favorite week of the year - our week in the northwoods. I don't call it a vacation, as it feels more like going home. It's a week for the four of us to reconnect with nature and with each other. An eight hour drive northwest of Chicago, we stay at a resort nestled between National Forest and the Lac Court Oreilles reservation. We are without telephones, both landlines and access to cell phone towers. The lodge has one landline phone for emergencies. It is a half hour drive from town and the area is pretty remote. We've been going to the same resort for eight years and have stayed in the area for 11 years. I just can't wait!

"Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted, but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known." -Garrison Keillor

I'm off to start packing! Blessings, Patti