Saturday was a big day.

My fortieth birthday.

Three wonderful friends came to my house for a girls' weekend to celebrate.

What a perfect way to ring in a milestone!

One of the best things about being with these ladies is the comfort level we have with one another...
hours spent talking about our roles as women, wives, mothers, friends, peacekeepers.
Honest conversations without fear of judgement or rejection.  
One of us summed it up perfectly:
"I am a better, stronger more confident woman after this weekend..."

What I also love about spending time with these ladies

is the importance they place on living a healthy, balanced lifestyle.  

It's their way of life and how they are raising their families.  

They inspire me in so many ways.

 A friend is someone who brings out the best in you.

Saturday morning we hiked up the trail on Rib Mountain.

We checked out some cute shops in downtown Wausau.

A favorite was a health food store where they had some interesting selections,

like these beautiful fresh quail eggs!

In case you've ever wondered what scrambled quail eggs look like...

Pretty darn good!

Fresh orange juice for smoothies...

Some nourishment for the soul...

We did allow one boy to join the party.

He pretty much just laid around and listened to all the girl talk.

I'm so blessed that one of these girls is also my sister and best friend.

She brought along birthday cards that my nephews made for me.

Best birthday cards ever!

My friends left this afternoon, and Pompeii and I were a little bit out of sorts.

My husband hadn't yet returned from his weekend trip, and the house was pretty quiet.

So we went out for a walk with the camera, looking for inspiration.

I'm happy to have kept a few of those gorgeous quail eggs.

After emptying the yolks and whites, I placed them safe and sound in their new nest,

as a lovely reminder of our nurturing weekend.