A Party, a Dress, Tapas and a Goddess Giving Birth
This weekend marked the official end of my 40th birthday celebration. Quirky Fusion readers will party on with 40 Days of Giveaways, but I’ve done all the partying I need to do. Last year, when I told my husband that I wanted a party for my 40th Birthday, my hopes weren’t all that high. Honestly, Big Guy is good at a lot of things, but party planning isn’t one of them. Thankfully, my mom and sister stepped in and gave him some much needed guidance (i.e., took over). And although he never claims any of the glory, I know my dad did a ton of work, too. It takes a village to host a birthday party…
Since I had given up my original request for a surprise party, they decided to keep the location a surprise. It was fun speculating where we might end up, but it did cause me some anxiety when deciding what to wear. In the end, I stumbled across a dress that I simply fell in love with. I decided that it was simple enough to be OK in a casual environment, but formal enough that I felt special wearing it. And I found a pretty necklace that matched perfectly. Win-win!
The party was held at Café Madrid in Chelmsford, MA. They serve Spanish and American food with a nice selection of tapas. They’ve got a great party room in the back with a large screen, dance floor and bar. I loved the location. The room was a nice size and very private. I wasn’t thrilled at first that they had the hockey game on during the party, but Big Guy is a HUGE hockey fan and it didn’t end up detracting from the fun for me. Plus, the Bruins won in double overtime, so everyone was in good spirits at the end of the night! The food was delicious, but a little heavy. I’ll definitely return to try their food for dinner sometime.
I’m going to be honest. I was a little concerned that no one would show up. That’s a post for another time, but it was in the back of my mind. Needless to say, there were people at the party and I love each and every one of them. My mom, who used to teach third grade, devised a crazy activity that involved acting out different memorable moments from my life. I had to guess what activity each group acted out. I love that my friends and family were willing to act like complete lunatics in order to help me celebrate. I can’t tell you the last time I laughed so hard. The award goes to my dear friend, Melanie (The Coupon Goddess), who re-enacted the birth of both of my children on the floor of the restaurant without thinking twice. Her team won for the best re-enactment, which was funny, since they collectively knew me for the shortest amount of time.
My mom outdid herself in terms of the finer details of the event. There was a slideshow with pictures from infancy on up and it was fun to look back on so many good times. It also proved to those who have been hearing me say it for the past couple of years, that Lady Bug looks almost EXACTLY like me as a baby. Eerie. But a good thing, because when she was born I’m pretty sure I said that if I hadn’t seen her being born, I wouldn’t believe she was mine. My mom also remembered that I wanted custom M&Ms for our wedding, but had to nix them for budget constraints. She came through with my own special birthday M&M mix.They said, “Celebrate Christy!” and “40 great years!” The last custom M&M had my face printed on it, which is both creepy and cool. Be forewarned that you look at lot chubbier when your face is plastered on an M&M.
My husband was a bit more of a silent partner in this whole extravaganza, but he did remember that the most important part of a birthday party (other than the fabulous guests) is the cake. Our friends at Cakes for Occasions did a great job with a Mickey Mouse cake in three flavors: opera, red velvet, and a white cake. Much thanks to my in-laws for picking it up and delivering it safely to the event! Luckily (or not, if you ask my waistline), we brought a lot of cake home. The only flaw is that the black frosting stains everything, so we all had grim-looking smiles by the end of the night. Despite my paranoia, though, none of it ended up on my dress!
My father-in-law did a great job of taking pictures of all of the festivities and I got some pictures in, too. Here are some of my favorites:
It was a fantastic night and I had a blast. Can’t you tell?
Related posts:
The 6th Birthday That Almost Wasn’t
Giving Thanks
Giving Thanks for Something Different
The Great HEXBUG Nano Party
Dress Up Life with Blue Heritage Collection Ball Mason Jars
Halloween HEXBUGs Crash Our Boston Bruins Birthday Party!
Dress Up Your iPhone for Halloween… or Just for Kicks
Birthday Party Dilemma
YAY! I love this post. I sent it over to Zora so she could see the pic of her fine labor-coaching skills! :) Happy Birthday! We had a BLAST! Great party for sure!
I missed out on an awesome party. So sad. I really wish I could have seen the labor reenactment… that had to be hysterical!!! :)
Happy Birthday my friend. :)
I think it’s cool how people acted out parts of your life.
I have to add that this event would never have happened without your dad, Gerry. The slide show, and even the event location would never have happened. He met with Jasmine and booked the site, and did all the financial stuff for the night. He pulled me through the slide show whenever I hit a wall. After all, I couldn’t call you for tech support! So…make sure you include him in your thanks and praise.
So happy you had a good time…
Looks like you had an awesome birthday party. Happy 40th!
So glad I got to wish you a happy birthday IRL. Great to finally meet you and celebrate a little in NOLA : )
Laughed all over again!!!! Can you tell we all had fun too?? Thanks for turning 40!!
So glad you got your 40th birthday party & it appears it was worth the wait!
It was such a creative party! Great food, family and friends… I really didn’t mind leaving the party with black teeth! Still blown away that you’re 40!