Birthdays, guns, & Valentine's

The last few weeks have been kind of stressful on me. Harrison noticed how I was feeling and he surprised me with my favorite flowers (Circus roses) a few days before Valentine's Day. The month of February is also significant because we've now been together for EIGHT years!

Saturday was Melissa's birthday. What better way to celebrate than by rounding up all our friends and taking a 45 minute drive out to near Hot Springs, NC to shoot guns?

Melissa, Christen, Caitlin, Ellen, Adam, Harrison and I arrived at Fowler Farms around 4pm, so we didn't have much time to shoot before Harrison and I needed to get back for dinner at the Walden's. I wasn't feeling very well at all, but I was just happy to shoot my gun again. It's been a year since I used it last. Fowler Farms is a beautiful piece of property in the NC mountains. The owners are very kind and have a Sporting Clay course set up in the woods behind their home. They even rent out their nice guns for $5 apiece! As we went from station to station, we munched on birthday cupcakes, sang Happy Birthday, and carried our shotguns in tow. I didn't do very well this year; Harrison beat us all (but I beat him last year). After shooting, Harrison and I headed back to Asheville to have a nice dinner at The Walden's. Brad and Emily were there also. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner of pork tenderloin, spinach/artichoke souffle, gourmet mac & cheese, and an incredible double layer chocolate cake! I was starting to feel a little sicker as the night wore on, so we went home a little early.

On Sunday, Harrison and I planned to celebrate a big (early) Valentine's Day. We had reservations at Posana's Cafe and concert tickets to see a famous French composer, Yann Tiersen at the Orange Peel. I didn't think I was going to make it to either event. I rested all day and Harrison made me drink a lot of hot tea. By dinnertime, I felt strong enough to tackle the evening. At dinner I had a great hot toddy made with Brandy, cloves, lemon juice and zest, and fresh ginger. We shared fried quail for our appetizer. I had the most amazing pork tenderloin encrusted with various nuts and a brown sugary glaze!

After dinner we headed to the Orange Peel to see Yann Tiersen's performance. I was expecting the relaxed sounds of his solo piano, accordion, and violin. Instead, he had a five person band with him and they rocked it out! He is a fabulous artist, and I think he just wanted to showcase a side of him that most of his listeners are not familiar with. I approve; I just wanted to hear a little more of him by himself.

After the concert, I was in desperate need of my bed. I was not feeling hot, but apparently I was...100 degree hot. What was I thinking going to that concert? I'm so stubborn. I didn't want to flake out on our big plans, but I suffered because of it. Here I am, blogging on Monday night, sick as a dog. I haven't even gotten out of my pajamas today. My Valentine has been to the pharmacy for me, the grocery store getting me soup, and boiling hot water for my tea. I love you, Valentine!