Birthday Pints


Blog / Monday, December 2nd, 2013

I try not to brag about things because it’s unbecoming. However, sometimes I really need to climb atop a tall building and shout for all to hear, “I HAVE SOMETIME AWESOME THAT YOU NEED TO HEAR ABOUT!”

This time around, I want to shout about how great my girlfriend, Ellie, is. She was unable to make it to my birthday celebrations a week ago. It wouldn’t have made sense for her to come home for the weekend, go back to school for a couple of days, and then come home for Thanksgiving. It’s a five-hour trip each way on the bus. I gave her a lot a grief about it because at one point she said, “I don’t see the point in it,” after asking if she’d be coming home. I was always joking, of course.

That being said, I still think she outdid herself for my birthday.

First off, she had my gift delivered to my apartment. She ordered it well in advance because she thought it would take some time to prepare and she notified me that it would be coming. A couple of days later, around the beginning of November, it showed up. I promised I wouldn’t open it until my birthday because she initially requested that I didn’t (though she later relaxed this, but I still waited). On the morning of my birthday, after weeks of waiting and wondering what it might be, I opened the package to find this:

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FeWX5RRm2Ao/UpD6U8N2NjI/AAAAAAAASYE/XAls4WN1980/s144-c-o/IMG_20131123_125557.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5949530345424959026″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20131123_125557.jpg” ]

 It’s a very fine flask set with my initials engraved on it. Absolutely beautiful. After opening it, I immediately texted her to ask if I could take my gift to work. I needed a reason to use it.

Later that evening, I learned that she had more planned for me for when she’d be home over Thanksgiving. She asked me if I wanted to know and I declined, thinking a surprise would be better. Boy was I right.

We spent the Friday after Thanksgiving just wandering around the area, searching for Christmas ideas. She had made plans for the evening. Come 6 o’clock, we were in the car driving towards an unknown destination to me. I just followed the GPS, which she had programmed.

Guess where we went. Try.

It’s a place called Arté in Wauwatosa and they were having their first “Pints and Painting” event. The place is usually a bar where you can buy a blank canvas and paint away on it while drinking away. This event was a little different, it included instructions on how to paint a certain painting (seen in the pictures below) as well as tastings of a few beers from one of the local breweries.

When I found out what we were doing, a huge grin crossed my face. I had gotten a few clues from Ellie about what it might be, but think as I might, I had no idea what it really was. Awesome. It was awesome.

Here are a few photos while we were painting:

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-A-5kZ0qxJ80/UpleC8U8bKI/AAAAAAAASWA/0M5H3SXfKjI/s144-c-o/1385773787305.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5951891787193543842″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”1385773787305.jpg” pe2_img_align=”none” ]

 Starting out, extra beer in hand.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/–a03EbTnFVI/Uply6Xk2c-I/AAAAAAAASWs/nKj5Ix0J7bo/s144-c-o/IMG_20131129_205532.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5951914729633379298″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20131129_205532.jpg” pe2_img_align=”none” ]

 Missed a few steps, but the basics are there now.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e6mKmKquMl0/Uply_wXX7ZI/AAAAAAAASW4/zjVRkXs5R1E/s144-c-o/IMG_20131129_205548.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5951914822187085202″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20131129_205548.jpg” pe2_img_align=”none” ]

 Ellie with the basics of her painting down.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oWEuk2Otiss/UplzMmvWk_I/AAAAAAAASXQ/qLx8tDSSZuI/s144-c-o/IMG_20131129_213307.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5951915042941604850″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20131129_213307.jpg” pe2_img_align=”none” ]

 Some more details added.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gcp8AmLzwwU/UplzSPo_iiI/AAAAAAAASXc/SknzCRUCj18/s144-c-o/IMG_20131129_213325.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5951915139820128802″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20131129_213325.jpg” pe2_img_align=”none” ]

 Ellie’s with some details.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WvABnxXLrqo/UplzX3k0tjI/AAAAAAAASXo/catRISK2hMo/s144-c-o/IMG_20131129_215224.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5951915236439406130″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20131129_215224.jpg” pe2_img_align=”none” ] [pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-c8eer4xmh4k/UplzcmEWOWI/AAAAAAAASX0/nXEYD2GkxwU/s144-c-o/IMG_20131129_215233.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/111197070419838127380/20131129?authkey=cOUpPZbwlH4#5951915317639133538″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20131129_215233.jpg” pe2_img_align=”none” ]

 Mine and then Ellie’s final products. Well done us. Well done.

We also had a lot of fun judging other people’s paintings as we went. It made us feel better about what was on our canvases. There were two guys who were sitting in front of us who had monstrosities on their canvas. Their background gradients were non-existent, only blackness. On top of which, they painted a pint of Guinness (which was more black with a frothy, cream-colored head). Awful, just awful but it gave us a good laugh.

All in all, the night was great. I had a lot of fun painting and drinking some beers. At one point, Ellie and I were in the beer/painting zone that we were absolutely quiet. We both looked up around the same time and realized what had happened.

Try and tell me I don’t have a great girlfriend. I dare you.

Also, if you have any ideas on how I can top her awesome planning skills for her birthday, please let me know. I know it’s going to be difficult.

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