Celebrity for 2 days! (lots of pictures... but couldn't get them in the right order! sorry! :)

So,  5 years ago we started a tradition.  Mom and sisters weekend for our 40th birthday's.  We started with cami back then,  then Nicole and this year,  ME!
Yes,  it's been 6 weeks since my actual birthday, but it was the soonest weekend we could all 6 make it work.  (Cami,  Nicole,  mom,  me,  Brandi and Kelsey).
I have a dear friend who manages the Huntington Beach Hyatt,  so brandi contacted him and planned the weekend there.  Little did I realize what that really meant!
Cami and I drove together,  mom,  Kelsey and brandi caravaned and nic drove down herself.  Mom,  Brandi and kels arrived first and we arrived soon after.  Actually, too soon after. ... They sent us on an errand to buy themselves time.I kinda figured they were decorating the "room". Finally we were called up to the room and we were excited! Excited for what? We didn't entirely know,  but for me,  the unknown was exciting!
As we walked down the hall,  we could see feet under the door. ... They were watching for us out the peep hole. I started hootin and hollering as we approached the double doors. 
Now,  I have been in a nice suite or 2 in my lifetime,  but what I was about to enter was an entirely different deal.  The double doors opened and my mouth dropped! Eyes popped out of my head and by the time I could put my face back together sounds were uncontrollably coming from my mouth! "Oh my goshhhhhhhhhh" had to have been said repeatedly about a million times. ... Other sounds were to the effect of,  "what? !?", "Are you kidding me", "no way", "shut up", "ahhhhhhhhhhhh", etc.
What I saw was this;  directly in front of me was a formal living room.  On the coffee table was a balloon bouquet the towered up to the ceiling. Glancing to the right,  on the other side of a fireplace,  was a dining room with a table for 10. A gorgeous bouquet of spring flowers with a pink theme was in the center,  with a delightful fruit bowl accompanying it.  To my far right was the bar and there,  an antipasto platter full of cheese,  olives,  meats,  vegetables,  etc sat and next to that,  6 bottles of fine wines (Stag's Leap,  Roth,  Robert Mondovi,  etc). Then,  behind the bar was a kitchen with a fridge and cupboard stocked full of generous choices of items such as,  more wine (white), beers,  mixers,  sodas,  water selection, etc. ..
As if this wasn't enough,  it continued. ...
There was an adjoining room so we had enough beds. ... afterall, the idea of some of us sleeping on the couches didn't sit right with eron.  It must be 2 to a bed for our comfort and best experience! ;) the room was of the bar area and it was amazing itself!
Then we headed to the left wing! Brandi speed me and pointed to the ceiling,  "listen. .." my favorite,  Bon Jovi was playing on the sound system throughout the approximately 2000 sq ft Presidential suite!
To the left of the living room was a "family room/tv room" and off of that was a closet and half bath (large). Then,  down and to the left,  through more double doors was a huge office area with a desk stocked full of office supplies. 
Heading to the left of that was a huge hallway with a vanity on the left and 2 closets on the right! Sitting atop the vanity was a gift bag full of products from the hotel Spa! The Hall led to the grandioso master bath that was the size of one of the bedrooms in my house! Heading back out of the bathroom and Hall,  back through the office was the last room, the master bedroom. An octagon shaped room with beautiful vaulted ceiling and on the bed was an adorable straw sun hat,  a delightful lavender bathing suit cover up and an envelope addressed to "Charity Prestifilippo". Inside the card read,  "C, what an exciting weekend.  I'm happy you choose my hotel to spend it.  My staff and I are here to ensure you have the best possible experience.  If there's anything you need,  please don't hesitate to ask. You're the best,  E".
Honestly,  in that final moment,  I felt like I was the Bachelorette getting a date card and the most incredible date (with my mom and sisters... hee hee) of my life! :) I threw myself on the bed and rolled around like a little kid kicking and screaming! This was the best thing EVER!
Nicole was still on her way,  but brandi had her on speaker phone the entire tour of the place! She arrived about 30 minutes later and we went through the entire deal again with her! It was just as fun the second time! ;) Oh! I forgot to mention the view! We had the entire front side of the building that overlooked the beach,  with a balcony that wrapped around from the master bath, which faced the pool,  to the entire other side that faced a grass area where there were 3 different weddings throughout our stay.
Eron,  who had made all of these arrangements with brandi,  had planned to personally escort us when we arrived,  but unfortunately,  one of his employees had a medical issue and was rushed to the emergency room,  eron accompanied him.  I knew this, so I texted him photos and a thousand Thank you's.... I'm sure I blew his phone up!
It was time to get ready for dinner.  We had dinner reservations at 6pm. 6 girls had MORE then enough space to get ready,  it was ridiculous! We actually lost each other in the a few times!
Brandi, kelsey and mom,  who had added "40th" decorations to the already accessorized room, snuck out before the rest of us.... When we arrived down to the restaurant in the hotel courtyard,  our reserved table was decorated also!
I had asked eron of he would join us for dinner.  He said he'd so for a drink,  but he couldn't stay long. 
We ordered our drinks and the servers began delivering,  "compliments of the chef" bite size appetizers. ... There was 4 rounds! Eron!!!! That was so sweet!  We were pretty full after that,  so we decided to share plates for dinner.  After we ordered,  eron showed up. Needless to say,  we all went crazy for him! thanking him up and down and excited to share with him the entire arrival experience! He is a humble man of little words,  but his smile, short giggle and simple,  "I'm glad you like it" showed that he understood our gratitude!
We had his drink waiting for him and once he sat, we toasted him and our birthdays! He turned 40 just a couple days before me. 
We ate dinner,  he shared with mom and I (he grew up with us! ) and we were stuffed after a great meal!
It seems we all held our bellies as we sat back in our chairs and shared conversation about the old days,  eron's life and his family.  How he and Cindy met,  his career,  etc.  Just when we thought we had a moment to relax from all the excitement,  a line of servers walked up with a bowl of gelato for everyone! The girls and mom got strawberry and I got the most decadent salted caramel on top of a fudge covered brownie with a plate that read "happy birthday"! I don't really like dessert (I do love cheesecake),  especially ice cream,  but this was not ice cream,  or dessert. .. It was literally a piece of heaven on a plate! I devoured the gelato (left the chocolate fudge brownie. ... I hate chocolate. ... I know,  I'm not normal! ) and felt extremely satisfied when I was done!
Dinner was finally complete! What an afternoon! Nothin could top this! We all were ready to go,  eron was going home and he asked where we were going for the night?  We all shouted,  "the room"! Why would we go anywhere else? We wanted to feel like celebrities as long and add much as we could! He laughed,  like he does,  enjoying our pleasure,  and said good night. 
We couldn't stop taking about the day/night! As we headed to our humble home for the weekend we felt so light,  so happy! 
We walked into the suite and on the table was the most beautiful cheesecake I'd ever seen.  It looked like a wedding cake! On the plate around the cake it read,  "happy 40th birthday charity" and there was a new bottle of fine wine! REALLY!?!?!??!??!??!
This was beyond special,  beyond thoughtful,  beyond everthing! I was speechless! I'm sure this feeling is the same feeling that a celebrity gets when they first get to enjoy the rewards of their success! In most lifetimes,  the average Joe,  like myself,  never gets the taste of that feeling. ... But if you know me,  you know my fantasy of becoming a celebrity,  and that feeling I was able to feel,  was a dream in and of itself! Never mind on the level of being a "regular person" and being spoiled like I was the "Queen of England!"
The rest of the weekend we had a blast! Talking and laughing,  going on walks on the beach,  hanging Poolside with drink and food service,  taking photos (thousands) and sleeping like Angels!
... Saturday night we had my cousins 40th birthday party that was so much fun for us as well! Gina is a favorite fun and crazy cuz who we grew up very close to.  We are close to her whole family! At the party were more photos,  fun and laughs!  She's very special to us and we wouldn't have missed the chance to celebrate her!
Sunday was the end of the fun. ... time to pack up and head back to our humble realities.  Our lives are all wonderful and you could say that we are all pretty spoiled in our every day lives... well, I'll just speak for myself. ... I am very,  but gratefully,  spoiled.  The thing about dreaming to be a celebrity is that you don't actually have to be one.  Part of the fun about dreaming is the ability to do so.  I always think about what my life would be like if I actually was one and I wouldn't want my life to be any different then it is now.  But there definitely isn't anything wrong with getting a taste of it now and then! And this weekend was definitely a giant taste of it!
"Thank you" doesn't feel enough when I think about this weekend.  I felt that way after my party and my girls weekend too, which is why I had a Thank you dinner for the girls who surprised me with my SD getaway.  But this time I'm stumped.  If I could put into words how Appreciative I am,  it might sound like a foreign language,  because there are no words in the English language expressive enough. 
For now,  all I can say is,  thank you from the bottom of my heart".

Cousins!!!

We had that entire top balcony and floor!!!

Nic and I resting our eyes!

Sad to have to leave....

Mom... this one's for you...

I was born to an amazing woman. Growing up, my mommy was incredible. When I was little, she was completely hands on. Every photo or video I see from my childhood, I had reason to smile. My mommy was there, holding my hand, kissing on me, loving me, playing with me and teaching me.
As I grew up into my adolescents, she taught me even more. It wasn't easy for me during my "development" years. I felt awkward and had a different role with my friends and school. I had always been fairly popular and had a lot of friends... but once I hit middle school... that temporarily changed. But you know what? What didn't change was the support of my mommy and daddy. My mommy was my best friend. I could talk to her about anything. That's so special for a girl to have, especially in school! Mom trusted me and I trusted her.
When you grow up so close to your mom, there's a strange dynamic that occurs during the transition to adulthood. Either you transition or you don't... but the attempt to do so can be extremely painful. It's hard to figure out how to separate enough to be your own person yet still maintain the same relationship. Outside influences can affect this too.... who your dating, where you live, what you're doing for school or work, etc. Well, for me, it was who I was dating. He was jealous of the relationship with my Mom, yet part of that jealousy brought the need to find my own way to my attention. This was a brutal adjustment for me and Mommy and caused some painful times for both of us.
Here's a point though... when you establish a relationship with your child while they are young and growing up, they have a foundation in place. They may wonder, they might experiment, just because they are human and not because you did anything wrong. Decisions I was making came from a lot of different influences but was not a result of a bad upbringing. My point is that when kids have a firm foundation, like I did, we might wonder a bit, but we always comeback to what we know. As I did! And once I did, Mom and I had a stronger relationship then ever because we were both adults and we talked through any issues or problems we might have.
Today, Mommy and I are very close and have a wonderful and healthy Mother/Daughter relationship. It's filled with honestly, love, communication and time for each other.
I want to share the gifts of life that my Mommy has given me;
love for the Lord
understanding of God's love
forgiveness
graciousness
compassion
understanding
being there for others
honesty
character
be yourself
be a leader
speak up for what you believe in
family is important
have fun
be silly
love the camera! (hahahhaha!)
show others what they mean to you
... the list goes on.... but as you can see... Mommy has given me so much that has shaped who I am. I am a better mommy myself, because of how she raised me! I adore my Mommy and I'm so grateful that I was the special child of God who was planned for her!

REALLY????

well, you might not know, but late last year I had a boob lump scare. Turns out after a lot of confusing and nerve racking doctor visits, I was going to have to have double lumpectomy. Unfortunately, I ended up with a hematomo and after that, an ecoli infection! But! In the end... I was all clear! No more, "keeping an eye" on them!!! ...... so I thought! :(
Its been 3 months since all the frustrating complications and I've been feeling a lump in my left breast! I called my surgeon and got into see her last week. She didn't like the fact that she felt the same lump and it didn't belong there! So she refers me to the imaging center so I can have an ultrasound with a radiologist reading. Since my surgeon is in OC, I asked if I could have the imaging done in Murrieta since that's where I had the previous 2 imaging appointments since I really liked the radiologist and it was SO MUCH closer to my house!
I made my appointment, soonest available, a week later. To take you back a little, when I had the scare above, for some reason unknown to me, there is a form in my file that says I tested positive for the BRCA gene. It's an expensive genetic testing that can tell you if you are at high risk for breast cancer. I don't remember having the test, nor was I told I tested positive for it until the radiologist wanted to send me for an MRI before my biopsy. These reports in my file caused some fast action by the radiologist and called for extreme testing asap. The lumps turned out to be benign, but the reports remain in my file now.
So, when I went back into imaging this last week, again, they find these reports and have to treat me like a BRCA positive patient... which is alarming for everyone involved.  I asked the tech how I can get to the bottom of this questionable report and she said I'd have to track down where it came from and look for where they originated... where do I start??? I asked if Dr. Grey, the radiologist from the last 2 times, was there (I saw him walk by) and she said he was there, but not reading, he was just in for a meeting. Disappointed, I hoped I would get the same treatment that Dr. Grey gave me last time, coming into the room and explaining everything to me followed by what I'll need to do next! Well, unfortunately, that didn't happen. The tech did the ultrasound, walked out to show the radiologist  and came back in to tell me that he'll get the results to my doctor in 2 to 3 business days! :(
So, I left with no more or less information then I went in with. BUMMER. With no new information, I took off to pick up Lauren and Logan from my sisters, then to Spuntino to pick up Luca who had been hanging with Alex that morning. When I walked into Spuntino, who is standing at the counter???? DR GREY!!!!!
So I walked up to him and told him that I was just in the office! Filled him in on everything and (here's the good part/God part!) he offers to look into the BRCA results for me! When you consider that I'm RARELY in Spuntino anymore, I have only been to the imaging center 3 times and that I was discouraged about this unsolved mystery... it's clear that the situation was of  "DEVINE DESIGN"! Dontcha think? ;)
Dr. Grey followed through with his promise and now... we are requesting the test results.... another waiting game.... waiting on the results from the ultrasound AND the BRCA lab! Praying.... will let ya know!

Mommy...

Mommy,  I owe you a blog. I realized that during mothers day I had so many other things occupying my brain that I didn't blog about you! So,  whether you like it or not. .. Look out for the "mommy blog" coming soon! ;)

daddy....

happy fathers day Dad's!!!!
There's something about becoming a Father... not everyone chooses to, not everyone should... some jump into it way too soon and those Dads either stay in for the long haul or bail out cuz their afraid. Some are incapable and others are more then capable. There's so many possibilities when it comes to Fathers. As they say, it's easy to become a Father, it takes a special man to become a Daddy...
 The bottom line for the child is, they don't get to pick their Daddy. You are an innocent human being, naive to what the future holds and you get what you get without knowing what that means...
I know many kinds of Daddy's.  In my own life I have many surrounding me. All of them have their stories.
My Daddy has his stories... he has been a Father 6 times, but a Daddy for 4. I was blessed to be one of the 4...
My Daddy was 35 when I was born. My parents planned on having me. I was born in my Daddy's home state and even the same hospital as him in Providence, RI. At the time, we lived in a trailer on my Grandparents farm. I entered this world on May 2, 1973. My Daddy shares memories of me laying on his chest giggling and happy. I was a happy baby! As I grew and we moved to California,  I can remember a happy family... Disneyland, zoo, beach, family gatherings... I had 2 older sisters who were very special, taking care of me and playing with me... Daddy was around for all of it.
In my school years, Daddy worked hard providing for our family, yet I remember him being at all my softball games, all my school functions, Sunday church and everything else we did as a family. I use to sit with Daddy and watch the fights, we'd ride dirt toys together, go to races... I was 1 of 4 girls, he had no boys, so I was the one who did the "boy stuff" with Daddy.
Daddy was cool! All my friends loved him! And he always had the first and best of everything! I remember when the "car phone" came out!!! A huge box placed in the car with a giant phone attached. He was always "the man".
Lots of toys, lots of fun, lots of love!
We had everything kids could want! But more then materialism, we had love and support. Daddy was always there for us. Supportive, encouraging, loving and fun!
As I reached my pre adulthood... life made drastic changes. Some issues surfaced that I wasn't prepared for... life had always been picture perfect... now, I was thrown a curve ball! But here's what is special... I had a relationship with my Daddy that allowed me the freedom and privilege of confronting and discussing the issue/s which allowed healing and the ability to move forward and continue a life of the wonderful Father/Daughter relationship we always had.
Daddy moved away in my early 20's. He and my Mommy divorced and it broke my heart. Daddy moved back to RI where he could live with my grandparents. He had lost his business and his wife and had nothing left in California. 3 out of 4 of us daughters were out of state at that time and he needed to be home with his parents.
When I moved back to California he wasn't here. It was so hard to be so far from him. I would go visit him at least once a year and he would come out here about the same. But it just wasn't the way it used to be.
January 2007, my oldest sister and I went back to help Daddy with an accident he had. We realized on that trip that we had to work on getting Daddy back on the west coast so we could help him. He never remarried (which we are happy about ;) and he had no one to help him back east. My grandfather had passed away and my grandmother was being taken care of by my Aunts. He lived alone and the winters were rough.
In the next couple years, I made it my mission to figure a way to get Daddy out with me.... finally, I did it! He moved here to help me at our pizzeria! He moved into our guest room and he helped us for about a year, until he had a V TAC which was a severe heart condition. Fortunately, he was here and with us... and for the next 2 years he would have one more heart problem and brain surgery. Having his daughters near him was the best medicine and  having us all living close to him would be his dream come true...
All of us sisters were in Cali except one, so that became the next mission!
Daddy and I worked on that for a few years until finally, last year, we got her down too!
Today, Daddy has 4 out of 6 of his girls within 2 hours of him. 1 more within 5 hours and another only 3 hour flight.
Daddy and I spend lots of time together and he is there for me and the kids for everything we do. Daddy and I have many talks about life, business and family and we share in so many laughs and good times!
I have truly been blessed by the Daddy I have been assigned by the Lord and he has definitely influenced who I am today. Happy Father's Day Daddy! I love you immensely.

Interesting day. ..

On Thursday,  I contacted my breast surgeon who did a double lumpectomy back in January to remove 2 fibroadnomas (sp), 1 from each breast.  I felt I should let her know that I felt some lumps in my left breast.  I had a6 month follow up scheduled for July,  but they decided they should see me right away.  They got me in for 10am Friday morning. Since she is in mission Viejo,  I granted my dad and the kids and headed to stay the night at my sister brandi's in Ladera, about 15 minutes from the office. 
Around 4am I woke up with a bladder infection for the 4th time in about 6 weeks! 2 weeks ago I completed a7 day prescription for it and it's already back! ? I rummaged for something to take and found advil, vitamin c and airborne. Lays back down but didn't fall back to sleep. ...
In the morning,  Dad and the boys went with brandi to my nephews end of the year program and I went to the doctors.  First thing they do is take my vitals,  "104 over 40, your blood pressure is low" "what does that mean? What do I do?" "I don't know,  you can talk to the doctor about it" Oh,  great,  I thought. ...
Doc came in. ... "How's it going?" "Well,  I woke up with a bladder infection this morning,the tech tells me my blood pressure is low and I have felt new lumps in my breast!  Besides that,  everything is great!"
Doc is from New York and she has a great personality that totally works for me. ... She laughed and said,  "you're a mess" I said,  "I know! 40 sure isn't being nice to me!" And she started looking through my chart. 
We talked about possibilities for this reoccurring bladder infection and how it's possibly related to my low blood pressure.  She prescribed me an antibiotic,  sent me to the lab for a culture and started on my breast.
"Wow! Yes,  12 to 3 o'clock, gosh. ... Let me get the ultrasound machine".
She went to get the machine,  but it was in use,  so she asked me about charity for charity and we discussed the unfortunate passing of 2 adult beneficiaries in about a week. We discussed the blessing of CfC being able to offer these families memories to cherish for ever by sending them on their dream family vacations,  and the other things we are able to provide as our funds increase.  She shared with me,  a story of a woman fighting cancer and the book she wrote with her daughter for kids dealing with parents going through chemo.  It's special how talking about CFC opens conversation about other special people.
The knock on the door broke the conversation. .. The machine was available.
She no sooner started and she saw things she didn't understand or like. After about 10 minutes of checking and measuring,  she felt it was necessary to refer me to an ultrasound technician. ...
She recommended I take primerose oil for the tenderness in my breast. 
I left her office with my handsful.... I was sent down the hall for my culture. ... After that,  I got in the car and called the imaging center to make my appointment for the ultrasound.  Earliest available was a week later. 
It was a strange feeling when I got in the car.  I want worried or depressed,  but I wasn't thrilled.  There was a damper feeling and ora about me.  I just wanted to go home. ..
I picked up dad and the boys and we went to eat,  I was starved. 
After we ate,  I wanted to find a boat store to get Alex a couple things for Fathers Day. Feeling Moody,  I was irritated trying to find a place.  Fortunately mom referred me to a place that I was able to get a couple things I was looking for.  That made me happy.
But then. ... We got on the freeway and it took us 2 hours to get home,  when it should've taken 50 minutes!
What a day! Then I had to run to spuntino to sign softball papers,  then my friend debi invited me over to give me my birthday present and have a glass of much needed wine. 
The end of my day offered a nice glass of wine,  great conversation with a friend and relaxation. ... Thank you debi,  you didn't even know I needed it! 

sentimental time....

Well, the family and I enjoyed a fantastic trip to Needles, CA for our annual trip with mom, bran and families... So much fun this year with sisters Nic and Lauren joining us!!!
We arrived home from the river on Monday evening... tell me, why do I always do this to myself????
I had planned a "Friendship Dinner" which really should've been called a "thank you" dinner for Tuesday evening!!!! It was a thank you for my birthday... they all dressed in costume and acted out their "Grease" roles, which for many was beyond "out of their comfort zone"! Then, a week later, they planned a "surprise" trip to San Diego for the night... they kidnapped me and whisked me away for that incredibly fun "Girls Night Out!"
First of all... I shouldn't have planned it for the night after I got home from the river, seeing as I did nothing except SHOP to prepare for it!!!! Second of all, well... as "Charity" goes.... I planned it for one date, but when that didn't work for the 3 out of 12 gals I invited... I sent a text and asked about a few other dates... after posting about 4 different dates and completely text bombing the girls... I finally found a date that worked for everyone... a Tuesday night, I guess it was June 18th. I put it in my phone as that, changed the evite to that date and apparently all the gals had it as that. Well, here's where I'm ME.... I, out of Lord knows where got it in my head it was the 11th, not the 18th. Maybe that was a date decided, maybe it was just thrown around, but none the less, in my head for the next 3 weeks, I would continue to think it was the 11th.
So, after the amazingly unusual PRE PLANNING of shopping for things I would plan to do/use the day after settling the date... all I had to do was put it all to use and finish my preparation for the dinner. That would leave only the simple menu I had planned to keep it easy and the focus off eating, but on what I had intended on the evening being... a personal Thank you card.
At least I thought to text everyone on Saturday, to remind them that the coming Tuesday, June 11th would be the date of the very important dinner. There were several responses to the effect of, "THIS TUESDAY????" which is why, now, I'm thinking maybe I did mess up the final decided date.... hmmmm
So, after confirming, "yes, this coming Tuesday" thinking, ~"gosh, the date really snuck up on the girls"~ I started to get excited for what was planned. Only thing was... I had intentions to write each of them a poem or letter as to why they were important to me including photos etc. Well, that was going to be a challenge! I hadn't even begun before the river... thought about working on it in the car, but was worried I'd get car sick... then I thought I'd start Monday night when we got home... Nope NOPE and NOPE... Tuesday morning a stared... started to download and search for photos I wanted to use... took a break around 10, when Alex woke up... he left... kept working... he came back a couple hours later, I stopped... he left an hour later... I started again... my sister Brandi was coming for the dinner and told me she'd leave her house after the kids got out of school, around 1pm... she called and was on her way before I was done finding all the photos I wanted to use!!!
Brandi showed up 3 into my letter/photo prints and Vanessa followed right behind her. THANK GOODNESS... (if you don't know who Vanessa is, she is my "earthly angel" who came to me when Logan was 4 months old and has been taking care of all of us ever since!) So they stepped in to help... kinna ruined the surprise affect for Brandi but at that point, I didn't care!!!!
So, by 5 o'clock we almost completed the "planned" special touches and went to get ready/freshen up. Back out at 5:30, sister Cami showed up and we completed set up.
The girls... most of whom arrived (always arrive) fashionably late gathered, clueless of what was in store....
I invited the 10 girls who surprised me with the Girls Night Out, plus 2 of my 6 sisters. (The Locals ;) All of the girls have been some of the dearest friends I have ever had. One specifically, Gina. Gina is my partner in crime, my named "bestie", a very important person in my life. Unfortunately, she texted me THAT day and told me she worked from 5-10!!!! I couldn't believe it! First, she NEVER works evenings, second, how could my named "bestie" not be here???? I was, well, let's say devastated for lack of a more powerful word!! I tried to make her understand how important this evening would be without giving anything away... I tried to encourage her to "call in sick" but a good quality that turned bad to me that day was that she wouldn't!!!! Her work ethics are ridiculously great, but that stunk for me that night... and for her!!!!
Anyways, all but Gina made it and I don't want to take away from the fact that all the other girls made it despite the date confusion and coordinating challenges.... I was thrilled!

So, the surprise and long awaited evening began! We went down to my wine cellar that I had decorated just for us! Friendship signs, candles, a beautifully decorated table with each friends place card with their name and friendship stickers. Monogrammed glasses, cheek girly paper plates with fancy printed napkins and finally, a monogrammed frame and with personalized letters and photos to each girl expressing what they mean to me from the bottom of my heart. They were beyond moved and immediately appreciated the unique and special meaning behind the evening.

We sat around the table... started with a toast to friendship. Then I went on to explain why I felt a card wasn't enough to let them know how much all they had done for me, meant to me.That was the first spout of tears. Following that, I read a poem that Darlene and my mutual friend, had shared at her memorial service. It was about the different forms and purposes of friends in our lives. Second spout of tears.... Then, I asked each girl to read their place card and all the special friendship comments on them and then to share what I had wrote in their frame. Tears, tears, tears... it became a challenge to read your frame without loosing a tear... not sure anyone completely accomplished that one! In the middle of the readings and tears was so much laughter... one of my favorite things! We laughed about crying, we laughed about a memory brought up by a comment or a photo... we laughed about laughing... oh how we laughed! Once we made it through those, I served dinner (which, I might add, was a special gift from my husband! I had requested a meal and he had told me it was too much to do that day, then when I opened it to serve to the girls, it was what I had requested and it was DELISH!!!!). It was time to pray... holding back more tears, I thanked the Lord for the blessing each of these women are to my life and of course, I blessed the food and the hands that made it!
It was time to just relax, chat and enjoy more laughter as we reminisced about times we had shared and memories we had created!
The evening ended with a viewing of my birthday video which brought more smiles and laughter and finally, a group photo (minus 2 who shot out too quickly after dinner). The girls couldn't have been more appreciative and seemed to truly be blessed as I'd hoped they would be, by this heartfelt evening full of love.

I can't express what the evening meant to each of us, what it meant to the future of these friendships... what it meant to share with those treasured individuals, how much they really meant to me. If you have a group of friends, no matter how small or large the group... I would highly recommend doing the same thing for them... and for you. It was an evening of a "friendship lifetime" that we will cherish always....