Celebrating a birthday in the midst of a pandemic is a tricky thing. You want to feel happy but you can see the hospital from your back deck. The hospital that is saving people from an invisible killer that is ravaging the entire world. It is hard to let go of the current situation and enjoy your special day.
This year my BIL celebrated his 40th birthday just 2 days before mine. This year we had Fest of Ale tickets on my birthday with my Besties. This year my Sis and BIL were driving in to attend the Fest of Ale with us and our friends to celebrate both of our birthdays.
This year everything was cancelled due to Covid-19.
I was unsure how I would feel when the day actually arrived. The lead up wasn’t good. I had anxiety and was sad and basically I was emotional while trying to understand all the feelings I was having. I was feeling a lot of pressure to be happy. When I woke up on Friday I was scared I was going to have a break down in the middle of the birthday party the kids worked so hard to plan for me.
It was a windy grey day so we decided that staying in would be best. Ninja went out and got me my Birthday Starbucks, my Gr2Besty dropped me off a wonderful card and gift and then Ninja took the Girls downstairs and let me have the living room to myself for the afternoon. I spent the day on the couch catching up on Days of Our Lives and Top Chef! It was glorious! I felt no guilt as I sat there sipping my caramel macchiato and watching the trials and tribulations of the Brady and Horton families.
Dad and J met me at a safe distance in the backyard to give me beautiful homemade cards, my favourite bottle of wine and a bottle of Salted Caramel Baileys for my after dinner coffee. My Sis and her family FaceTimed me for some laughs and my InLaws did the same ❤️.
Ninja and the Girls pulled out all the stops! HBear gave me a $5 voucher for a movie ticket and set the living room up like a theatre. I exchanged my voucher for a ticket to the Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana that I have been eager to watch!
We watched the movie while eating my delicious dinner! After dinner they brought out my favourite, cherry cheesecake that they had baked themselves! It was AMAZEBALLS!
The presents. The presents were my favourite. This year was different and the Girls couldn’t go shopping so they made my gifts ❤️. SBean painted a box so beautifully and filled it with creations just for me. She made me a bookmark, a Kleenex box for beside my bed, a poem, a song, a few puzzles and a picture of our visit to Spotted Lake. It was beautiful 💕. Ninja refilled my Starbucks card and bought me our very own gin making kit! I’m excited to create our very own gin in the near future!
HBear. Oh HBear. I was blown away by her creativity. Not only the party but the gift she had been working so hard on for the past week. She created my own personal first aid kit. She made up 10 spaces and labelled them with different remedies. There was an information sheet as to what each “pill” did and the side effects 😂. Each remedy was a favourite treat of mine. Wine gums, Nibs, mini Wonderbars, blue whales, Swedish berries, mini Oh Henrys, smarties, dinosours, starbursts and chocolate covered almonds. Mind. Blown. 🤯 So creative & so thoughtful and so homemade 💕.
We played Beat The Parents (they didn’t) and had snacks from HBear’s snack bar and then it was time for bed. No arguments, no complaints! I took a wonderful shower and crawled into bed to watch Making the Cut before falling asleep completely happy in my birthday cocoon.
It was awesome. I felt no pressure to pretend. I just felt loved, relaxed and grateful.
40 was one of the best years of my life. Despite what is going on in the world, my 41st year started off with love so I know it is going to be just as great.
I am so incredibly lucky 💗
Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice
Adapted from Averie Cooks
2 tablespoons lime zest
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
2 cups cooked rice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn
3/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
To a measuring cup, add the lime zest, lime juice, honey, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, & pepper. Whisk to combine; set sauce aside.
To a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, add chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, flipping so all sides cook evenly.
Add the sauce. Allow sauce to bubble at a medium-fast boil for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce has reduced and chicken is cooked through. Stir sauce and flip chicken throughout.
Turn the heat to low and add the rice, black beans, corn, peppers, & cilantro. Stir well to combine. Cook until everything is heated through. Garnish with a pinch of cilantro.
