A Great Birthday.

This year my Mike and Griffin helped me celebrate my birthday with some fun family activities.

We celebrated my birthday Saturday by visiting Maymont Park ...


Maymont was the 100-acre Victorian country estate of James Henry and Sallie May Dooley. In 1886, the Dooleys first viewed and purchased the rough pasture and field that would become Maymont. At the age of forty, with no children and the resources of her husband's prosperity at her disposal, Sallie Dooley led the effort to transform the landscape into a showplace that would rival the lavish estates that were springing up throughout the country.

Major Dooley died in 1922, and upon Mrs. Dooley's death in 1925, Maymont was bequeathed to the City of Richmond. There were no heirs to remodel the residence and its interiors. There were no subsequent generations to parcel the land or to sell off the Dooleys' distinctly personal collection of decorative arts. In fact, only six months after Mrs. Dooley's death, Maymont opened as a public park and museum, and has survived intact. Today it is an unusually complete example of a Gilded Age estate. The estate, including the residence, gardens, grounds and original architectural complex, remains very much as it was during the Dooleys' time.


Our family enjoying some fun family time together ...


This is one of my favorite pictures of the day ... do you see the peacock up in the rafters? He spotted it and thought it was funny.


Another favorite picture ...


After we left the park we did a little shopping and then we headed to my favorite place to eat dinner ... Outback ... yummmmmmmmmmm!!!


Sunday was actually my birthday ... my sweet boys chose a wonderfully, delightful triple chocolate truffel cake! They made a great choice!


And just look at these beautiful flowers they gave me ...


And my sweet husband cooked dinner for me last night. It's one of my favorite meals. Grilled salmon with Mike's famous homemade dill sauce, wild rice and stir fried green beans with mushrooms. That's some left over corn casserole on the plate too.

I had so many phone calls, emails, blog comments, cards and e-cards from my wonderful family and friends.

Thank you everyone for making this a GREAT birthday!!