Last week, I hit the big milestone birthday... 3-0! As the day had been approaching, I was kind of dreading it, to be honest. Not in a I'm-so-old-and-don't-want-to-turn-30 kind of way but in a my-hubby-has-been-gone-for-12-days-and-is-out-of-town-on-my-birthday kind of way. It turned out being one of the BEST days EVER.. thanks to my unbelievable mother, sister, hubby, and best friends. Here's how it all went down...
Knowing that Justin would be out of town, Bridget fulfilled her best friend duties and asked me if she wanted me to email some friends to go out on my birthday. I agreed and so she sent off the email. Within the next several hours, almost everyone had replied and politely declined. I was soo sad, thinking none of my friends cared about going out on my birthday. Little did I know this was all part of my mom's, Jorie's, and Bridget's master plan to surprise me! I've been told that I can be difficult to surprise by my hubby, so apparently they had to get creative! Bridget told me not to worry but that we were going to make the most of it. She planned a super fun morning for us... she hired a babysitter to watch our kids and took me to get a pedicure and out for lunch. It was the ultimate treat and I felt so loved and spoiled! I came home, put the girls down for naps, and then we headed to Lindsey's for playgroup. Since none of my friends could come to my birthday dinner, Lindsey had offered to host a playgroup birthday party for me. So we went to Lindsey's and had some yummy snacks. Some of my friends apologized about not being able to come to dinner and asked if Bridget and I were still going to do something fun. I had no idea what we were going to do, but knew we'd be doing something. I felt bad because she had already spent basically the entire day (and so much money!) on me. Little did I know that everyone had been told to say they couldn't come, even though I would end up seeing some of them again in just a couple hours!!
After playgroup, we brought the kids back to Bridget's and she told me to go get ready. I felt kind of silly but got ready anyway. We left and when we got in the car, she went on to explain how bad she felt that no one was able to come. She said things like, "I tried so hard. I even called some other people but NO ONE was free. I'm so sorry," etc... She then went on to say that we were going to Cedar Rapids to have dinner with my mom and sister. I totally believed it and was thinking that was fine... at least we were doing SOMETHING!!! We got to my mom's house, walked in, and I was in for the BIGGEST surprise ever. Right when I walked in, I saw all of my very best friends waiting for me and yelling SURPRISE!!!! In normal Annie fashion, I shed several tears and couldn't get myself together for several minutes.
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| These lovely ladies were waiting for me!! |
We had sangria and appetizers and chatted for awhile before my mom served us a delicious dinner at a perfectly set table. My mom loves a theme and did an awesome job decorating and planning the most perfect dinner party!
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| My favorite flowers were a beautiful centerpiece. |
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| Such a pretty table! |
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| Jorie made this photo collage... so fun!! |
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| Cheers to 30 years! |
After dinner, Jorie had everyone take a quiz about me and I was showered with gifts- both physical and of the word sort. They typed up a list of 30 things they love about me and all took turns reading their contributions. Words of affirmation is my love language and my heart was bursting from the sweet words everyone shared.
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| My hubby got me a Keurig! |
The party ended with some delicious chocolate cake!
I can't think of a better way to have spent my birthday. It was the most special night and I will remember it always. I know there will be many hard days coming up, with our move, and these memories will hopefully be a bright spot for me.
Jorie had everyone take a picture with me and I'm so glad she did! All of these wonderful women helped make my 30th the best birthday yet!
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| Mom |
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| Jorie |
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| Bridget |
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| Dollie |
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| Emily |
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| Erika |
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| Jacque |
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| Lacey |
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| Lindsey |
Thank you so much for the most perfect night!!!!
7 comments:
YAY! It was fun to "fib" on your behalf :) So glad you had a great day & evening!
What a beautiful day for a beautiful worman by a beautiful family and friends. You are blessed and are a blessing! Love you!
How sweet! Such nice friends and awesome family for putting this together for you. Looks like such a nice time and perfect way to celebrate turning 30.
What an awesome day Annie!!
SO FUN! Glad you were spoiled on your big day, especially with your hubby out of town. What a great memory!
What a great day!! Awesome that you got to celebrate in style!! Love you
It was soooo hard keeping the surprise a secret for three weeks, but sooo happy we pulled it off!! All of your friends (especially Bridget) were awesome at playing along. It was so much fun to plan and do all of the behinds-the-scene preparation without you having a clue! So many times when you called and asked, "whatcha doin' Rho?" I was actually working on your party! I love the great memories, and I'm so happy it gave you joy!
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