The Big 3-0

Yes, my dears, I have entered the next decade.  It really isn't that bad on this side of the fence.  And with the birthday I had, I definitely cannot complain!  About two weeks before my birthday, my dear husband began sending me emails with the subject "ARE YOU READY?"  He told me to have a bag packed and a schedule ready for the kids for the weekend, but no details other than that!

At 10AM I was picked up by a LIMO!!  Mase (the driver) was in on all the details and wouldn't say a word.

And neither would the other fabulous ladies who were waiting for me!  Inside I was thrilled to see Noel, Michelle....

and Merisa.  These ladies have been a lifeline to me in raising our family away from extended family.

And then we drove to.... the airport.  I still had no idea what was going on.  But I looked at the sidewalk and saw my sisters and mom trekking towards the limo!  I jumped out of the car with no shoes on and we exchanged some tearful hugs.

I just couldn't believe they were really here!  My mom flew in from New York, Jen from Dallas, and Allie from Washington, DC.  And Thunder had arranged it all!  I was astounded!

After we picked up my mom and sisters, we did not drive away, but just to another terminal at the airport.  Who else could we be waiting for?  I was hoping maybe Thunder's mom or my sister-in-law (who I later found out were invited but could not come), but instead I saw my sister-from-another-mother Amanda! We were best friends in high school, roommates at BYU and such good friends with young families.  She had moved to Virginia two years ago and I had missed her terribly. Plus she was getting her house ready to sell and her family ready to move.  It was a sweet reunion!

Notice the puffy eyes?? Too much crying going here!

After everyone was in the limo, Mase pulled out a box full of baskets with candy and a rolled up paper.  The scroll detailed our plans for the afternoon!

We were driven to the Grand America hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, which was aMAZing. It was so beautiful.

This is the view from Amanda's balcony.

And the bathroom!  But I digress...

We boarded the TRAX and headed over to the Gateway mall, where we had reservations at Applebees.  We had fun chitchatting and eating great food.  I was still just grinning from ear to ear looking at everyone!  And thinking about dear Thunder for organizing it all!

After we ate, we had an appointment at the spa for pedicures, manicures and massages.

They had our names on doors, with robes and flip flops for everyone.  We got changed, and got busy relaxing!

Lovely, eh?

After the spa, we checked our itinerary and made our way to the Melting Pot for dinner.  This dinner lasted a full three hours, but it was a lovely time to chat and catch up.  Everyone really got along so well and it was so fun!

Dinner consisted of four courses that used two fondue pots in the middle of the table.  First, we chose two cheeses and got to dip pieces of bread, fruit and vegetables.  Then we got a normal salad.  For the third course, they brought out platters of raw meat, shown below.  Each person then cooked the meat in the boiling broth in the middle of the table.  It was all delicious and we were stuffed to the brim.  But then they brought out the divine chocolate.  We could dip brownies, bananas, strawberries, rice krispie treats and cheesecake, and you'd better believe we practically liked the pots clean!  We waddled back to the hotel...

...and when we got to the room, this was waiting for us!  We were so full that we put the cake in the fridge for the next day.

We did all have some of the lovely lemonade and toasted to such a wonderful day.  There was also another itinerary waiting for us for Saturday.  We stayed up a little longer talking and laughing.  I was trying to soak up every detail so I would never forget!

After eating breakfast the next morning, we were picked up in another limo to hit up the outlets in Park City!  Uh, yeah, we did some serious damage.

We rested a bit in the afternoon and then got ready for a big concert- Sugarland!  Here is me, my awesome mom, and my two beautiful sisters.

And here is our whole group!  We were all ready for a fun night together, since it was our last!

We went to eat at Tucanos.  They made me stand up on a chair and bang a tambourine while they sang Happy Birthday to me.  That was a bit embarrassing, but definitely something I'll remember!

After dinner, we piled back in the limo and were driven right up to the front steps of the E-center.  Merisa totally put on her sunglasses as we got out.  Rockstars, baby.

When we arrived inside, we showed the usher our tickets and walked... and walked... and walked right up to the 4th row!  Amazing seats!  Opening that night was Danny Gokey, from American Idol last year.  He sounded good and I ended up downloading a few songs.

Next up was Julianne Hough, who crossed over to singing from Dancing with the Stars.  She was alright too.

But the evening rocked when Sugarland came on stage!  They have some really energizing songs and had the whole crowd up and dancing. But the best part was being told Happy Birthday from the stage!  Merisa, Michelle and Noel managed to make a sign and held it up when the lead singer was walking over towards our side of the stage.  She said Happy Birthday between songs, and the guitar player threw out his pick to me.  So cool!

The next morning, everyone was up and off by 5:45 AM!  It was all over in a matter of 2 days.  But so many memories! Even now, my throat gets a little lump in it, thinking about everything that people did for me to have  such a wonderful time.  My dear husband put in many hours of preparation and didn't get to enjoy any of it!  And everyone had to arrange things to be here.  I felt so lucky and so loved.

This was truly the best birthday ever, because of all the people I got to share it with!