Everyone Should Have A "Birthday Day"

My husband and I started a tradition a few years ago with the grandkids.  Instead of buying them things they don't want or need we take them each on a Birthday Day every year.  They get to choose an activity, a place to eat, and a shopping spree at a store of their choice with a set amount of money to spend.

The kids really love it and look forward to it each year.  It has become such a fun day for them that my stepdaughter wanted one also, lol.  Last February was her first Birthday Day:)

Yesterday we took our granddaughter for her Birthday Day and what a day it was.

Mike and I picked Ella up at 9:30 for her big day.  Our first stop was at Claire's for earrings.  This is one of Ella's favorite stores:

Whew....we made it out of there easy.  Ella has another store she wants to go to later on today.


Then it's off the go bowling.  Ella has never been so she is pretty excited about it.  Once her shoes were on she really liked the bowling alley floor, lol.  She showed us some tap dancing:)  Hey it's her birthday day and it's all about her, her choices, and having fun today:):)

Here she is bowling and the ball is staying out of the gutter.  That's a good thing:)  She wanted to be  a big girl and not use the gutter bumpers:

She did pretty well throwing the ball for her first time:

Here I am trying to give her a few tips:

Ahh...happiness:

Ella and her side kick, Papa.  They are best buds:)

It looks like she is enjoying herself:)

After the first game we thought she might want to stop but she wanted to play a second game.  I'm glad she got a better score on her second game.  That is always encouraging for kids:)



Then it was off to lunch.  Ella picked a new Chinese Japanese combo restaurant that just opened.

My two hams, lol:

And a free birthday dessert for the birthday girl which she was willing to share with Papa:

Since the free dessert was not planned, we took Ella to the place she really wanted to go....The Marble Slab Creamery:)

And then for her last wish of the day with us.  Mike and I took Ella to an antique store a couple of months ago and she really liked it.  She told us she wanted to go back for her birthday day because she had her eye on something.

Sure enough when we got there, Ella went right to the booth that had her "princess" phone:

There are lots of things to look at here so we did spend some time there:

Ella even had two of the owners helping her find certain items.  She had miniature tea sets on her mind:)

Ella with her choices:

I'm really glad she had such a fun day.  It's a nice tradition for Mike and I to do with the kids.  They really seem to look forward to "their" day each year.  We get to spend one on one time with them and they get to do what they want.

Our next Birthday Day is in December for our grandson.  We told him yesterday he needs to start planning what he wants to do.:)


We have had lots of good times and good memories with the kids on their birthday days.  We have been bowling, camping, horseback riding, to the movies, and of course we eat out each time with them.  Shopping is pretty much the same.  Ella likes Claire's, AJ likes Game Stop and their mother likes the Kitchen Store at the Outlets.


I think everyone should have a Birthday Day...don't you?:)

The Virginia Creeper Trail..Very Nice Day Trip

It's amazing how you can live someplace for so long and still not see the sights your area has to offer.  That is how it was for me for a rail trail called the Virginia Creeper Trail in southwestern Va. that runs from Abingdon to Whitetop.  It is a 34.3 mile trail which has a halfway point in Damascus Va.  The trail is an old railway trail that used to be used by Virginia-Carolina Railway.  The current Virginia Creeper Trail was completed in 1984 for many to enjoy it.

Damascus is where Mike and I, with a couple we know, rented bikes for the trail.  The town of Damascus is full of bike rental shops.  We went into a shop, picked out our bikes and they were loaded onto a trailer.  Then we all got into a van and we were driven with our bikes "up" to Whitetop Station.  That is where we started our trip down.  The trail s all down hill and anyone can ride it.  They even rent three wheel bikes for people who feel more comfortable on those.

The trip that day was only half the trail, 17 miles.  We road through the woods on a combination of hard gravel and wooden bridges.  It is truly a beautiful ride and a great thing to do on a hot summer day.  It is nice and cool in the woods.

Here is Mike on one of the bridges.

Some of the views along the way.

Another one of the many bridges.

Bridges and water views.

There are a couple of stops on the trail itself.  About 3 miles in there is an old depot that you can check out.  It has some authentic things from the times, some snacks and souvenirs.  There is also a place you can eat about halfway down the trail.  You can stop as much as you want to enjoy the views or even have a picnic like we did.

Here is Mike and I taking a break.

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Some more pictures along the way.

Once we got to the bottom we were back in the town of Damsacus.  We all stopped at an ice cream shop where they gave "huge" scoops of really good ice cream.  I didn't even need dinner after that.



It was a wonderful trail and bike ride.  I can't wait to do it again on a hot summer day.  Here are a link if you are ever in the area:)
VA Creeper Trail


Take a look around to see what your area offers.  Get out there and try something new.  You never know what you might find:)