Birthday Photos.

My friends, that’s Yours Truly enjoying a tall one (root beer, of course…) at my favorite local Mexican restaurant for my birthday lunch. Today, as promised, I’d love to share with you some photos from the surprise party my mom and sister threw for me the weekend before my birthday. They’d been planning the shindig for months, but about a month before the party, I accidentally found the invitation my mom had saved on our computer. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, so I kept my mouth shut and didn’t let on that I knew (a very hard feat for me!) until the morning of the party. Still, my mom and sister planned a lovely day.

They decorated the house with lovely splashes of color. We left them up for the whole week, and every time I looked at them, I couldn’t help but smile!

During the party, they made sure guests had plenty to do. Guests could write birthday wishes to me on a giant poster hung on the wall, and instead of party games, my mom had a terrific raffle. Guests put their names into a basket and every 20 minutes, a name was drawn.

The prize? An item in this bin, which my mom filled to the brim with all my favorite things.

My mom also made these amazingly cute party favors filled with M&Ms, Hershey’s Kisses or Reese’s. The Reese’s were my favorite, and I not-so-secretly may have eaten a few before the party.

Since the party was in the afternoon, we enjoyed appetizers of cheese and crackers, meats and veggies. A friend of ours, in addition to bringing the appetizers, made the cake. It was half chocolate and half vanilla and incredibly delicious. She even added a dash of almond to the frosting to give it an extra kick of flavor! Genius!

After the party, it was so nice to sit down with my mom and sister, and read all the lovely cards from friends and family. I have so many wonderful people in my life, and I am thankful for them every single day! A BIG hug and thank-you to everyone who helped me ring in my birthday.

So, friends, do you have any tips for survivng my ’30s? What do you love about being in your ’30s? Is it really better than being in your ’20s?

P.S. My mom said she had such a fun time planning the party and picking out all the party favors. I told her she should go into the party-planning business. What do you think? 🙂