Since my birthday always falls around Memorial Day, I turn it into a long weekend of some sort. I decided to take Thursday and Friday off, in addition to having Monday off already for the holiday. Thursday was more of an errand day, so I didn’t include it, but let’s dive into all of the weekend festivities.

Friday, May 24

Josh and I started the day doing boring adult things, like going to the grocery store. We needed to get a few last minute things for my birthday gathering on Saturday plus other food we need for the week.

In the afternoon, we headed up to Northampton! We hadn’t been back since we first went in August 2021, so we were looking forward to the little afternoon trip.

My original first stop was Herrell’s to get ice cream, but the line was super long for 3:30 p.m. on a Friday. I joked with Josh that I should ask them if they needed help and jump behind the counter to scoop. Unfortunately, we abandoned that and went to Raven Used Books.

It’s sort of in the basement of the building and has so many little nooks and crannies filled with books.

After we dropped the books off in Josh’s car, we walked around Thornes Marketplace. I didn’t end up buying anything in the shops we went to, but we checked out most of them. Then we walked around the downtown streets, mostly to kill time. We noticed that there were a lot of stores for lease; the downtown area didn’t seem as busy as it used to be.

For dinner, we went to the Wurst Haus; it was just after 4:30 p.m., granted that’s even an early dinner for us but we figured it didn’t hurt. For most of our meal, we were one of a few groups in the bar. Josh got some German beer (I forget the name, and even if I knew it, it’d be hard to spell) and I got Mango Cart from Golden Road Brewing, and of course, we had to get a giant pretzel for an appetizer. We both got bratwurst: Josh got wild boar with sauerkraut, onions, and beer cheese, and I got smoked chicken and apple sausage with sauerkraut, roasted red peppers, and beer cheese.

We walked around again before heading to our final destination of the night: Progression Brewing.

We both got flights, something we always try to do when we visit a brewery. There was a wedding rehearsal dinner inside, so once we navigated through that to get to the counter and order, Josh and I headed out front to the patio tables set up in the street. There’s another outdoor section in the back of the building, but I guess the bartenders have to serve you out there, but the seating out in the street area is open to anyone. Regardless, the weather was absolutely perfect just as the sun was going down, and for some time, we were the only ones out there.

I think we left around 8:00 p.m. to head home, since Josh had to get up early to go to work the next morning, but overall we had a great time. It had been a while since we had a little trip to ourselves, and my birthday was a perfect reason to go.

Saturday, May 25

My actual 30th birthday! Although technically I wasn’t born until 1:33 p.m. (My mom did text me later on in the day right after 1:33 p.m. to let me know that I officially arrived.)

Anyway, it was also my mom’s birthday! So we met for breakfast since I didn’t have anything planned for most of Saturday. She got eggs, corned beef hash, and toast, while I got chocolate chip pancakes and a side of home fries.

After breakfast, I headed back home. I wanted to sit outside on my balcony and read, but once I saw the pollen floating off of the pine trees, I said, no thank you, and stayed inside to read.

My birthday gathering—yes, gathering, not a party—was happening at 4:00 p.m. at a local winery. Josh had been coordinating it when my friends and his friends; I knew about it from the beginning, though, and helped him pack everything up on Saturday. Thankfully we could use most of the paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils left over from his 30th birthday party in January.

We were picking up the pizza order at 3:00 p.m., and then we headed over to the winery. Our plan was to get there before everyone else to give us time to set up. Unfortunately, set up was going to take a few trips to and from Josh’s car because of the amount of stuff we had. Our first trip included a folding table, lawn chairs, and a blanket, all of which we used to claim a picnic table underneath a few trees. The weather was sunny and in the 80s, and being under a tree helped with the sun until it would set later on.

The invitees included my friends from work (including one of their boyfriends), Josh’s best friend and his wife, and Josh’s sister and her husband; there were about ten of us there, including Josh and I. Part of the original planning was that people would bring some dish, either an appetizer or dessert, and people showed up with some pretty good options. Josh supplied the pizza, chips, and bottles of wine from the winery.

The winery has a big grounds and garden area that can be used for picnics, events, fishing, walking, and more. So even though there were a lot of groups there at the different patio tables, picnic tables, and Adirondack chairs, we had plenty of space to ourselves. Plus there were dogs! There was a group next to us that showed up with a black lab puppy who wandered over to visit and was such a chunk nugget.

And there were goats! A few of us walked over to visit them in their pen, which was tricked out with a playscape. The winery dog, Champ, a border collie, was running around trying to “herd” the goats, although they were already in the pen, and almost knocked over one of my friends. (According to the winery’s website, the goats are named Stella and Dixie, and their kids are Billy, Peg, and Luna.)

I took pictures with everyone who came, but I’ll only include one of Josh and I—since I already have his signed waiver to use his name, image, and likeness on my blog. My friend, Alex, who came with us to the beer maze last fall and knows about my blog, supplied the picture on the right as an action shot for the blog. (She’s also the one who was almost knocked over by the dog.)

We packed up and left right around 8:00 p.m. (when the winery closes). Thankfully, everyone who was still at the gathering helped Josh and me bring everything back to his car, so it was just one trip. I opened my gifts when we got home and had some more wine before going to bed on my first day of being 30.

Sunday, May 26

Another morning filled of adult things: cleaning the bathrooms, picking up from Saturday night after we returned from the winery, and cleaning the kitchen. I didn’t mind, though; I just put in my Airpods to listen to a podcast and got to work.

For the first part of the afternoon, I watched the Red Sox game and read before Josh and I headed to my parents’ house for a birthday/Memorial Day barbecue; two family friends were also invited over, so it was nice to see them.

Food included the typical BBQ fare: hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, kielbasa, pasta salad, potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, and I’m sure I’m forgetting something. All I know is that we came home with a ton of leftovers—but we will never say no to leftovers.

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I think I had a pretty good birthday weekend! Even if I was in denial about turning 30. I’m glad Josh and I got an afternoon trip together to Northampton, and I’m so happy I was able to have a gathering at the winery with my friends. I was originally worried with it being on Memorial Day weekend people would already have plans, but it was so great to have my friends and Josh’s friends together to celebrate. And I’m glad I was able to see my mom for our birthday and have a food-filled barbecue.