As the weather forecasters promised, Thursday morning we woke up to snow. The snow had actually started before we had gone to bed on Wednesday night – around 11:30 PM. It snowed all day on Thursday… Thankfully on Tuesday I had gone to Wegman’s and picked up ingredients for Ina’s winter minestrone soup, bread, milk and other things you need to weather a two day snowstorm. We were in pretty good shape for the duration of the storm, I thought.

On Thursday night my office had made the decision to close due on Friday due to the duration and severity of the storm. It definitely helped that the Governor of our state asked all private business to close on Friday to keep people home and off of the roads which were quickly becoming treacherous. For me this was not just a snow day from work (which is always exciting) but it was even better – a snow day from work on my birthday! I was thrilled at the idea of pancakes and mimosas for breakfast, being able to sleep in and relax and not have to worry about trekking into work during a horrible snowstorm.

So instead of waking up before dawn on my birthday, I was able to sleep in and I woke up relaxed to the smell of pancakes on the griddle! I was served a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup and a mimosa with freshly squeezed orange juice!!! I just love having special breakfast on my birthday 😀

It was still snowing when I woke up and the snow did not stop until a little after noon. I spent a lot of my birthday doing laundry and organizing my clothes (why not? I had quite a bit of free time on my hands and I could not really leave the house!) I also spent an hour on the treadmill (maybe more because I was not running the entire time) and I covered over five miles on the treadmill. Being on the treadmill and exercising felt great and kept the feeling of cabin fever at bay for a while!

Eventually we got out of the house around 3:30. We went to Starbucks and I enjoyed a tall salted caramel mocha. I normally would not get something so indulgent at Starbucks (because the calories really add up quickly!) but I enjoyed this mocha on by birthday. I immediately wished that I had ordered a grande! But I knew that I had a lovely birthday dinner to look forward to…

It was fun to get dressed up, put make up on and get ready for dinner on Friday. We went to Via which is an Italian restaurant in Worcester. I started my dinner with a grilled caesar salad (definitely one of my favorites!). My entree was a lobster and shrimp florentine on a bed of homemade pasta. It is such a wonderful dish – but it is very rich and I always feel like I have eaten much by the time I am finished eating. (Except for the fact that almost all of the lobster and some of the shrimp are gone!)

For dessert I ordered a new item on the menu. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the option on the dessert menu – a cookie butter cremé brûlée. This dish combined two of my favorite things – and I never had even imagined such a decadent dessert, and it was wonderful for my birthday. I shared the dessert, but I definitely ate most of it 😉

It was definitely a snowy birthday and one I will never forget. Here’s to a healthy, happy and tasty 2014 for us all!