30 - Time to Party!

As a gift to me for my birthday, Mom had bought me this pretty white & yellow dress, with coordinating yellow shoes & bracelets. I knew we were going to dinner somewhere and spending the night at a local hotel, but I didn't know where or any real details. Shawn snapped a picture of me before we left since it's 'tradition' to get a birthday shot. Then I took one of him, too, looking so handsome in the shirt he got from his parents for his birthday:

Then our babysitter called and said she was running late, so Shawn told me that I could just meet him where we were going and bring her and the kids. What were the kids doing coming with us? He told me to tell Miranda to meet us at the Eden rather than our house and just get in the car. I asked if that's where we were spending the night and he said no. ?????

When we arrived, Becca (pictured below) & Angel and their girls Alayna & Kyla were there. I saw Shawn get the massive cake out of the trunk on our way out and I knew something was up. WOW! I would have never guessed he would have thrown me such a classy party.

Shawn hand-selected the menu of hor d'oeuvres, including fresh fruit, bacon-wrapped scallops, shrimp, chicken, meatballs, chocolate covered pretzels, snacks, etc. Then there were stations of drinks set up from champagne to milk for the kids to a display of sodas and a fountain of punch. On a different table was the cake.

The event was held in the 'State Room' at the Eden Resort and everything was arranged very nicely, from the lit candle decor to the various sized tables for sitting or mingling. Shawn had selected every last detail, and he did a great job! He also invited everyone without my knowing it... that said, he thinks he may have mixed up a few email addresses and forgot to give his own sister the exact location of the party (whoops!). He's not a 'mail-out-the-invite' kind of guy. But, I was surprised with the mix of people who came.

The next to arrive was Mom & Ken, who I realized I never got a picture with. Whoops! Here she is with Caleb, though.

 Next I believe was my friend Suz, who drove the whole way from NJ with her hubby and baby.

Afterward, my sister Jen and her kids arrived along with Dad and Becky, I think (it kind of became a blur).

Chris & Lisa and their daughter Isabella came thereafter, but unfortunately I didn't get a picture of them. Miranda also came somewhere in that time to help with the kids, and she did a great job of being an extra set of hands for Shawn, taking the kids when they came to me, and also watching all the kids as they ran around the room. After the party, she watched the boys for us while we went to dinner.

I'm not sure who came next, but here are a few more pictures of guests. I worked with Dave at the credit union and he drove the whole way down from Womelsdorf to be there, even though he didn't know another soul since the other two women we normally hang out with couldn't make it. 

I met Julie & Kelley at Masterpiece Marketing. They both have boys now (and Julie has a girl, too, of course) and we're getting together for a play date this week. :)

Margie & her husband Matt and boys Henry & Peter also came to celebrate, along with Valerie & Matt Addy who left their kids at home. Both these girls were in my MOPS group this year. I didn't get a picture of Valerie and her Matt, unfortunately. The camera died toward the beginning of the evening. I think we need new rechargeable batteries.

My friend Michelle from youth group also came with her daughter, but I missed getting a picture of her as well. She drove the whole way from Reading, as did Mike & Bonnie, Hilary, Alicia & Jordon. Later Gayle came with Grant & Jenavieve. Somehow Joshua snapped both pictures below long after the camera wouldn't work for me anymore. Here's Grant & then Shawn:

Speaking of Shawn, he did an amazing job. I was totally surprised by all he had planned. I knew how much he loved me when he got everyone's attention and led the singing of Happy Birthday. My husband is an amazing guy, but he hates to sing. He sings to the boys since they love it, and he sang to me our song on our wedding night as we danced. But, he'll rarely sing that anyone can actually hear him. He loves music but he doesn't want to be heard, if you know what I mean. However, he led the song beautifully and everyone else sang along. I was touched by his thoughtfulness. Here's everyone singing:

And here are a few of the kids that came that night. I think there were more than a dozen kids there (which doesn't take long since my sister has five and we have two and most of our friends have children). They ran and played and had a great time, and we were glad Miranda was there to help keep an eye on them as the parents talked and enjoyed themselves.

Here are a couple other random shots from the night. The party lasted until 5 pm when everyone told me to enjoy what was coming next. I think I may have been one of the only ones not to know what the next set of plans were. We dropped Miranda and the boys off at our house, along with her little sister, and we left instructions for my sister Becky (along with money to pay Miranda for her time) as Becky & Tim were going to be watching the boys for us overnight. Miranda put the cake away for us, too, which was sweet. 

We left there and headed to check into our hotel room, which Shawn had booked at the Convention Center Marriott. When we got there, I recognized the woman at the front desk, but I couldn't quite place her. I said "Do you go to LCBC?" and she said "Oh, yes! And I just got baptized there." Knowing that it may have looked a little strange for locals to be getting a hotel room, I told her that it was my 30th birthday and Shawn was surprising me and how we'd wanted to check this place out since it opened. She then asked why we were in two double beds (which he had just gotten the cheapest room through priceline), so she went ahead and upgraded it to a king room... ON THE TOP FLOOR!!!! Shawn had originally called the hotel directly to ask for the presidential suite, but it had already been reserved for that night. We had the room right next door and their million dollar view for the cheaper online price. God definitely blessed us through this woman. We were told this was the highest point in the city, and we could see for miles and all the cool architecture of the city. It was amazing. We took a quick peak at the room before walking the block to our dinner reservations.

Shawn had 6:15 pm reservations at the Press Room in Lancaster City. I had always wanted to eat there, but it was so expensive and we never really found the occasion to do so. The outdoor dining had always looked so cool, though. He remembered this fact, and he reserved the table right in front of the water fall. When we arrived, they took us to the best seats in the entire place. We had the water fall all to ourselves, it felt like. Then we feasted on steak, crab, asparagus and a sweet potato (Shawn had chicken cordon bleu with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies) besides our salads, etc. I also drank three glasses of unsweetened iced tea. After not eating one bite all day (including any birthday cake since I was mingling at the party rather than eating), this tasted like sheer heaven. Everything was perfectly prepared and the service was really good. The view was also awesome, but it was the company that was extra special that night. :) While we were there, he gave me yet another gift. He handed me two tickets to the Fulton Opera House.

The show started at 8 pm and the timing was perfect. And while they were calling for rain, it didn't actually come until we were already at the show (thank you, God!). Shawn had every last detail planned down to the minutes it would take us to walk from one venue to the next. We arrived at the perfect time to get our seats before the show. He had paid for the best seats in the house, once again, in the orchestra circle about four or five rows back so we weren't right on stage but close enough to feel like we were. It was amazing. When the Phantom rose out of the stage, it looked so cool, and the lighting effects were neat, etc. I highly enjoyed it. Several people told me how much they loved my dress there, too, which was sweet.

The show ended just before 11 pm, and I was wondering about our own boys. Had they given Becky & Tim any trouble going to sleep? Were they doing okay? Caleb had seemed a bit overwhelmed at the party and not fussy but just a little sad and clingy. I was hoping he was feeling loved. So, when we got back to the hotel room, I called my sister's cell phone. She's usually a night owl, and I figured she'd still be up and that way I wouldn't wake the boys. Luckily she was up and said that both boys went to bed nicely for them and were sleeping happily. That made me feel better. I was glad they were there and I knew they the kids were safe.

When we got back to the hotel room, a bottle of white wine was there, along with a plate full of cheese & crackers and fruit. From bleu cheese to brie to red & black raspberries and strawberries and fancy bread crisps, it was amazing. We toasted the evening and sampled the plate, which the front desk woman had sent up to celebrate my 30th birthday, complimentary. I had also remembered at dinner where I really recognized her from - she was my mom's old boss from the post office. And she had spoken at Jamie's funeral (the only time I had actually ever seen her). I finally put the two together. When I had seen her at LCBC, the only reason I remembered is because I thought she looked familiar. Now I knew why. I eventually got to tell her so, and I saw she made a comment about my coming to see her on my mom's Facebook page. Anyway, even before knowing that I knew her, she graciously blessed us on my birthday. That late at night the city was all lit up and as we sat there and talked about the day and enjoyed the treat and drink, it was just incredible. The king size bed was comfortable, and yet I didn't sleep again. I had had so much caffeine and so much going on that day that I couldn't seem to quiet down my mind. Instead, I enjoyed watching the sun rise over the beautiful city as I thought about how lucky and how blessed I really am. My husband is an amazing man. My God is an AWESOME God. And my friends and family mean the world to me. I am glad to be alive, and being alive is the only way you get to be older. So, here's to 30!