After we took Sadie on her morning walk, Ryan and I hopped in my car and set off on our first birthday adventure. We drove to South Carolina en route to an apple orchard and initially had plans to stop for brunch at a restaurant I found on Yelp that had fantastic reviews. Unfortunately once we arrived, we saw the restaurant had closed down! I didn’t think to check their website and since Yelp had a bunch of great reviews posted, I figured it was a safe bet. Oops.
We ended up stopping at a local diner for some food that was less-than-stellar, but at least we got a good laugh out of the whole experience.
Our second stop for the day took us to Windy Hill Orchard and Cidery, located in York, South Carolina.
We drove to the orchard hoping to pick our own apples, but arrived to find mostly rotten apples on the ground.
Apparently picking season is over and the website was not updated to reflect this when I checked on Saturday. (It now says apple picking season is over as of yesterday.) We were a bit disappointed at fail number two of Ryan’s birthday but our spirits were lifted thanks to hot apple cider doughnuts and hard cider.
Before we left, we said hi to some of the pigs exploring the orchard and managed to find one decent-looking apple on a tree.
Success!
Once we made it back home, Sadie was more than ready for some attention, so we quickly changed and took her on a walk to a local park for some early-evening frisbee!
By the time we walked back to our place, we were ready for a birthday sweet treat and I made sure Ryan had some candles to blow out so he could make a birthday wish!
Ryan’s love for Oreos knows no bounds, so I made him an Oreo dessert that incorporated an entire package of Oreos. He was quite a fan!
I crushed a bunch of Oreos and placed them on the bottom of a pan. I then made a batch of Oreo pudding, added more crushed Oreos to the mix and a small tub of Cool Whip before stirring everything together and topping the fluffy whipped Oreo pudding with more crushed Oreos. It was a hit!
Happy 31st birthday to Ryan!
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Ah happy belated birthday to Ryan!!! Good, good choice on the oreos! It would be fun to try that dish with different flavored oreos like the birthday cake ones and the candy corn ones and the peanut butter ones!
I actually did use the birthday cake Oreos! I wanted to be extra festive! 🙂
ooo yay! Good choice 😉
That’s so sad that your apple picking wasn’t what you were hoping for! Next time try sky top orchard (http://www.skytoporchard.com). It’s super cute, close to you, and the website keeps you updated with the currently ripened apple variaties! We live in Greenville, Sc and go every year:) Hope that helps!
Don’t forget about the Pumpkin Spice ones!!!!
Ugh! Sorry that all of your planned activities didn’t work out 100%. Looks like you guys still made the most of it! Happy Birthday to Ryan .
Ahh! My husband turned 31 a few weeks ago- LOVES oreos- and I made him an oreo ice cream cake. It was also a big hit! That looks delicious! Happy birthday, Ryan!
Still looks fun despite the lack of apples to pick! How was the hard cider? I’m a big hard cider fan so just curious 🙂 I usually go for the lesser-known stuff because it’s usually not as sweet.
You two are so cute! Ryan’s birthday cake looks delicious!
I’m so sorry the things you had planned didn’t work out quite as you envisioned. We call that getting “Yelp duped!” That happened to us 3 different times (or the hours were wrong) and since then, I make a habit of checking the website or FB page too.
But you know, apple cider donuts make things better. 😉
Happy Birthday Ryan!
That Oreo dessert looks SO GOOD!!! I love me some Oreos too. 😉 Happy Birthday Ryan!
The same thing happened to my sister, friend, husband and I when we flew to Maui for a quick impromptu 48 hour mini-vacay! We tried to plan everything out so we wouldn’t waste a minute of our day. Well… After landing we found out the restaurant we wanted to check out for breakfast had moved, and we couldn’t find out where! We ended up eating McDonald’s for breakfast since we were all starving! But it just makes for a great story to tell later on! I’m glad you guys were able to have a simple and fun-filled day for Ryan’s birthday!
A day that ends with a dessert like that is an awesome one! And sure it’s a birthday day he won’t forget!
It was great meeting you at the orchard- even if I got embarrassingly star struck at meeting you after reading your blog for so long!
Loved meeting you too! Thanks so much for saying hi and congrats again on your wedding!!!
That’s a shame that your plans didn’t work out exactly as planned but it looks like it ended up being a nice day anyway! Happy Birthday to Ryan!
Well it is the thought that counts! It sounds like you planned a great day for the two of you to celebrate. But I’m sure Ryan appreciated your thought and effort. Plus a great dessert makes everything better. 😉
I LOVE that dessert 🙂 I’ve made it a few time! Happy Birthday to Ryan – looks like a fab day 🙂
Happy birthday to Ryan! I think it is so great that you guys can laugh about those things 🙂 My mom says her biggest advice for a happy marriage is to find someone you can laugh with!
This weekend I threw a surprise party for my sweetheart’s birthday! http://daybydaymasterpiece.com/2014/10/06/why-i-lied-to-you-on-friday/
Being able to laugh at yourself is the best thing in life =)
Happy Birthday to Ryan….It was my birthday too so this post made me smile. I love reading your blog even more now that you are in Charlotte. I lived in Huntersville for 7 years and right now I’m in Boston. It makes me so happy to see home everyday when I read your blog. I’m moving back in July and I can’t wait!!
That’s great that yall were able to laugh about it. It’s the thought and effort that you put into it that counts!
If you’re looking to go apple picking, you should try the Brushy Mountain Farm and Orchard in Moravian Falls, NC. My boyfriend and I went picking there last week. Its outside of North Wilkesboro, so maybe 2 hours from Charlotte? VERY nice people and tons of apples in the store and on the trees. We had a great time and would definitely recommend it!
Thanks for the recommendation! I’m not giving up hope for apple picking yet!
Happy birthday to Ryan!!
Happy belated to Ryan! That’s a bummer about the diner and the orchard but at least the day turned out to be a success!
What a fun weekend! The Oreo desert looks delicious, I’ll have to try and make it 🙂 one question, would you mind sharing about your jacket/sweater? I love the marled grey fabric and I am curious where it is from. I love reading your blog! Happy Monday 🙂
OMG that cake sounds amazing!! I love anything Oreo- I’ll have to try this out sometime….I just need to find an excuse! 🙂
Sounds like a fun day — despite failed plans! 🙂
Happy birthday Ryan!
My Ryan’s 31st was just a few weeks ago!
Sorry your plans didn’t go as planned .. they sounded fun! Ryan’s first birthday that we celebrated together, I bought tickets to the Patriots game in Miami… well the time it was supposed to start (8pm) changed, and were about 5 hours away when a friend called telling us we prob wouldn’t make it, ha! I literally cried. But Ryan laughed and we just went to a sports bar to watch the game. Guess ya gotta laugh and move on! Memories, right? 🙂
My husband would go NUTS for the Oreo dessert! Probably going to have to try that one out! 🙂
Happy belated birthday to Ryan! Apple picking season is so fast and much earlier than you’d expect. I think the same thing happened to me last year!
Despite the setbacks it still looked like a great day! That oreo dessert looks so delicious!
Maybe the apple you chose to pick was the apple which ended the season LOL. They were watching it closely to end the picking season 😛
Happy Belated Birthday to Ryan!
The owners of Windy Hill go to the church I grew up in! Now that I live in Charlotte I don’t get to enjoy those delicious apple doughnuts as often. They’re the best! Glad you got to have some!
My boyfriend’s birthday was yesterday too!! I’m sorry your plans didn’t turn out to be all you wanted but it looms like you two made the most of it and in the long run you were together and that’s all that matters!!
Oh wow, those are some fail tales, but you guys took it so in stride, go you! Happy (belated) Birthday to Ryan!
I love that you guys rolled with the punches with his birthday celebration. Happy Birthday Ryan!
Yum yum yum! All looks so delish and fun! I am missing the fall out here in Bangkok 🙁
I love when I nail a b-day treat! My husband is also 31, and also a cookie fanatic!
We woo had plans to go to an orchard in Grayslake, but apparently here in IL there is some kind of apple shortage, boo!
haha, love the oreo cake! That’s so clever. My bf doesn’t like cake so I always have to brainstorm something else for his birthday– he’d probably like that!
Love the sweater you are wearing! Where did you get it?
Forever 21!
Even though plans went awry, it still looks like it turned out to be a pretty awesome birthday to me! Although, any birthday that ends with an entire package of Oreos crammed into one dessert is a win in my book.
My husband and I celebrated our little niece Illy’s first birthday this past Sunday. It was a huge Korean celebration, complete with a giant Oreo tower… I suppose Oreos were the birthday hit of the weekend!
Have a great Tuesday!
I had to laugh when I read the part about the apple picking. The same thing happened to me but 2 weekends ago! Apparently because of the harsh winter, apple picking season was cut short. At least you made the best of it. That’s what it’s all about! 🙂
Sounds like an awesome day! Way to stay so positive about the mix-ups. The best part about birthdays is getting to spend them with the people you love, so it sounds like Ryan’s bday was a huge win all-around 🙂 Oreos AND hard apple cider AND cider donuts?! Wonderful. Enjoy the week!
I live in Asheville and there is still all sorts of Apple Picking in Henderson County (just south of Asheville) if you still wanted to make that happen! Bummer that the website was wrong!
Sunday was my husband’s birthday as well!! How funny!
Now I want oreos.
Will hv to make due with girlguide cookies