Part Two of Yet Another Happy Day!

So yesterday I was having a nice quiet birthday.
(Well, if you subtract the huge sign on my garage announcing my age!)
I went to The Olive Garden with all my siblings, parents, grandma and aunt.

We had a nice dinner, great conversation, okay food and as mentioned, quiet.
Towards the end of the dinner Jeff need to rush off to catch a flight, Kambree had texted she was heading to friends and my brothers talked of going to a movie so I was planning on a nice quiet night home in my PJ's watching a movie or something. My parents had driven me to the restaurant and were taking me home when suddenly my mom remembered they needed to buy milk and Dad turned the car around and we went to Smiths. I needed milk too so, okay.

Then I came home to (you guessed it!) A SURPRISE PARTY!
Orchestrated by my husband James who's name is now MUD!
And carried out by my friends and family.
(Count on James to throw a party he doesn't have to attend!)
There are many more pictures but not in my camera and I'm afraid they'll be posted on facebook so I'll steal some and add to this post. (NOTE TO ALISA! I have a picture showing that you are shorter than my MOM and I will use it as blackmail if you post unflattering pictures of me on the web!)





And as threatened, here is most everyone! A few friends slipped out early and I think I missed a couple people!

Just having everyone there and knowing how hard everyone worked to make this a surprise was the best present of all. (Especially for James, he has a hard time getting things past his nosy wife!)
One of the highlights of the night was a video my cousin Paul (with the help of my Mom, my sis and Kambree) put together for me. I of course cried-something I'd been trying to avoid-but it was to no avail. It's hard to watch your life flash before your eyes! There were pictures from my birth through my childhood, getting married, (which really made me miss James!) with each of my babies and I cried hardest at the end with pictures of Alex..it was just a happpy-birthday-crying-fest!
Along with funny cards, a beautiful plant, balloon bouquet, suckers that say "40 sucks", hot sauce that says "Still Hot At 40" gift certificates to Desert Star & Bath & Body Works, a beautiful jacket (Thanks Kambree & Devree!), chocolates, new frying pan, lotion set, Willow Tree figuring, and two huge cakes & ice cream, my friends pooled together and got me a gift certificate to a day spa! How did I get such great friends and family?
Here is me blowing out my candles.

Thanks everyone, I know without the help of my girlfriends, Mom and Kambree, James couldn't have pulled this off. And thank you James!I know you felt bad you were not there but, you were there in my heart! 11:11