So much to celebrate!!

Late Spring and Summer bring the beginning of back-to-back-to-back-and-more celebrations in my family.  The string of special days goes something like this:  Mother's Day, my birthday, our anniversary, Father's Day, Mike's birthday, the 4th of July and our daughter's birthday.  This year will add a special wedding to the mix in July and we're still trying to fit a short vacation into our crazy summer days.

For our anniversary, Mike took me to a place you have to see for yourself.  Nestled in the Chattahoochee Hill Country is a community called Serenbe (named for the combination of words "serenity" and "be").   This community is home to The Inn at Serenbe, The Farmhouse Restaurant, organic farms, equestrian centers and so much more!!  You can take a look by starting at www.serenbeinn.com.

We had a delightful dinner at the Farmhouse Restaurant which is part of the Inn.  The meal was simple and rustic...delicious for me because I got to enjoy vegetables (I'm a vegetarian) from the organic farms along with spoon bread and rough cut grits.  My mixed garden salad (fresh from their garden!) was topped with fried green tomatoes...fantastic!!  That's an idea I'm going to use soon.

After dinner, we went to a play at the Serenbe Playhouse.  The night was perfect...not too hot with a little breeze.  Why is this worth mentioning??  Because the theatre experience is "al fresco"!!  Ordinary Days is a musical that "tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect" staged in the beautiful setting of the Serenbe Courtyard.  Funny and completely entertaining, Ordinary Days makes the trip to Serenbe even more special.

Upon returning to the Inn, we were greeted by a mother and daughter who were on a "hunt" in the bushes with flashlights and giggles.  Two eight-week-old baby pigs had gotten out of their pen on the farm.  They were found, very easily, rooting around and seemed to enjoy the attention and extra petting.  The daughter remarked, "Go ahead and pet them.  They're just like puppies!"   Mike loved the piglets.

The next morning we walked the grounds getting to see the cottages, special event outbuildings, lake, pools & cabana, labyrinth, and croquet lawn.  We found the piglets in their pen, sheep, chickens and down the country road, some very large bulls!!  Less than a mile down this same road is the Serenbe community and the Saturday morning farmers' market.  I bought green garlic, crazy organic radishes, onions and beautiful zinnias.  Sadly, the tomatoes were sold out when we got there...you know what I wanted to do with them.

All in all, it was a wonderful getaway...too short as they always are, but a place where I hope to return.  I can picture myself on one of the covered porches, relaxing in a chaise, reading a good book and unwinding!!

I hope your summer is filled with special reasons to celebrate!