Birthdays, gardens and even more cupcakes

/ Meg

Born in July, I’m used to sweaty, sultry birthdays. I can’t recall a July 18 that wasn’t an assault on my already-frizzy hair, and 2010 was no different — but we still made it work!

Being all into photography and pretty things, we made a trip to Wheaton, Md., to visit Brookside Gardens — a 50-acre destination that came highly recommended by my good friend Erin. I wanted to see beauty! Gardens! Loveliness! And we definitely found it all at Brookside, though the temperatures soared in the afternoon to around 95 degrees. With ten thousand percent humidity.

Mom, Katie, Spencer and I were troopers and managed to walk for a few hours, though. I still managed to grab some decent shots before we just. couldn’t. take it. anymore. After making a circuit around the grounds and visiting the butterfly exhibit — butterflies everywhere! — we headed back to Southern Maryland and grabbed sweet, cold sodas en route.

Did I mention we got a flat tire on our way up — and on the Beltway? On my birthday? We totally did. Luckily, my faith in humanity was once again restored as someone immediately pulled up behind us to help put the spare on — which was awesome, considering I didn’t have a lug wrench. And apparently, lug wrenches are needed to change tires. Who knew? This is why you should travel with dudes. Or, in my case, become less of a female stereotype and figure automotive things out on your own. (Doubtful. I’m too busy reading to care.)

Still, butterflies! Flowers! Macro photography! It was a good day. And yes, I had plenty of cupcakes to celebrate — and a creme brulee at Bonefish Grill, complete with homemade whipped cream and a lit candle. I even straightened my hair with my brand-new straightener for the occasion, so you know it was special!


13 thoughts on “Birthdays, gardens and even more cupcakes”

  3. the pictures are so beautiful!!! i love them and it doesn’t look like the hear affected your hair at all. i can’t imagine what my hair would look like if i walked around the heat for hours… it definitely won’t be pretty.

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  4. That is a gorgeous picture of that cupcake. Oh, and you’re not so bad-looking either. 😉 Glad there were moments of bright humanity on your birthday, and thanks for sharing with us!

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  6. Happy Birthday, Meg…the photos are wonderful and you are making me want to explore Maryland even more…have you been to Chesapeake City and St. Michael’s?

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    • Hi Patty! I’ve never been to either place, though my parents enjoyed seeing St. Michael’s earlier this year. Even though Maryland is, by all accounts, a small state, and I’ve lived here all my life, there are still so many places I have to explore!

      Have you been to either spot? Would you recommend them?

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  7. Awww, what a great b-day! Aside from the flat tire thing. The flowers and butterflies are stunning, and the creme brulee sounds sinful!!!

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  8. Oh, man, I could have written that first paragraph, right down to the frizzy hair and the date! We have the same birthday!

    I feel sorry for always asking my parents for an ice cream cake when I was little. The closest place that sold them was a 40-minute drive away, so they packed up a cooler and occasionally made an emergency stop at a relative’s house en route to keep it from melting!

    Glad you had a great day, despite the flat tire!

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  10. You can now be a botanical photographer (is there such a thing?), Meg. You took wonderful pictures. You even managed to capture the butterfly!

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  11. Glad that you had a wonderful birthday. Love the photographs (thanks for sharing) and the hair. Also, as a fellow girl with a major sweet tooth, I adore your ravings about sweet sodas, creme brulee, and cupcakes!

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