my birthday in photos

another appropriate title for this post would have been why i allowed myself to eat 3 dessert over the course of 4 days. but no judgements here, right?

i was really looking forward to this birthday.  maybe anticipating is the better word.  i wanted to celebrate turning 45 and enjoy where my life is now and where it is going.  basically to celebrate some of the magic that comes with birthdays.

so it started on friday with a lunch with my mother in law at the yard house.  it was friday, during lent, so no meat means crunchy ahi tuna salad of course.

we started off with these crispy brussel sprouts and potatoes.  i am encouraging you not to order these. they were evil and crispy with a creamy aioli dip.  trust me you will regret it.

a cool surprise was that she gave me a necklace i had spotted while we were shopping in new orleans last year.  she bought it for me then but held on to it until that day.  brought back some good memories.

 saturday morning started as it always does, with a torturous run.  5 miles up and down hills.  it felt good to finish, really good.

bobby took andrew and sofia to opening day at cjbl.

 i came home, showered and then took jordan to swim practice with a friend.  while he swam i walked my aching legs around the mall unsuccessfully searching for a dress.

we finished the day at sofia's softball game.

sunday was andrew's first game of the season.  it was an exciting game that didn't go their way. but andrew scored 1 of only 2 runs for the team.  hooray.

 originally we had planned to have my family over for dinner but our schedule was confused and we had to cancel.  ultimately we ended up having dinner with my parents at macaroni grill.  i am 45 years old and i still find it odd to order a drink with my parents.

we ordered the chocolate cake for dessert - with 7 spoons.

monday was my actual birthday and we were lucky that both schools had the day off for teacher conferences and development days.  so we headed to disneyland.  before we left the house we realized that andrew needed to see the dr. since he was still not 100%.  luckily the strep test came back negative and he was feeling  a lot better.

while we were there we took jordan to get a blood test done for his thyroid.  might as well.

we got a very late start but made it to disneyland before lunch.

the best part was that i got to plan the day; what rides to ride, what to eat, and when to rest.  if you ever want to feel special on your birthday go to disneyland and get a birthday button.  everyone wishes you a happy birthday - cast members and guests.  of course no one tried to pronounce my name but that's ok.  it was a reminder all day long that it was my birthday.

i got to do some of the stuff i love like the tiki room where we enjoyed the dole whip - yummy.  the park wasn't too crowded so we zipped through a lot in a short period of time.  then we went to california adventure.

and rode tower of terror.

and toy story mania.

and no one complained when i stopped to take pictures.

we finished the day back at disneyland.  we had dinner at cafe orleans which was just ok.  but these pomme frittes were pretty outrageous.

and a mickey beignet for one more wish.

i could not have asked for a more perfect birthday.  i felt special and loved and spoiled by those around me.  i really enjoyed the text messages, phone calls and fb posts from everyone too.

it was a good reminder that birthdays are magical at any age.