This year I received an early unexpected gift. I won lunch for me and three friends at my FAVORITE restaurant, Ciatti's Ristorante, for Monday, April 23rd. My name was selected from amongst 476 other fans on Facebook! I didn't even know there was a contest. :)
The hard part was figuring out which three friends to bring with me (how do I choose?) and finding a babysitter to come and watch my kiddos for the afternoon. Thankfully my Aunt was available to stay with the kids and I invited my mom, my mother-in-law and one of my sister-in-laws. All three were able to come on short notice.
I'm honored to be surrounded by amazing women in my life and these three are no exception. We enjoyed visiting on the way, while we ate a scrumptious lunch and later as we shopped and then drove home.
While I listened to my mom and mother-in-law talk about their childhood and their extended families, I was reminded that one day it will be me telling the stories. I'll be talking about these women and the memories we made together. I'll have good stories to tell my children and grandchildren about their matriarchs and the legacies they handed down.
As another year in the story of my life unfolds, I look forward to seeing what God has in store. I'm blessed beyond words and so thankful for the gifts of family and friends. I have a rich life!
 |
| Mother-in-Law, me, Sister-in-Law & Mom |
Happy Birthday & enjoy the food!!! ;)
ReplyDelete~ Wendy
Thank you, Wendy! The cupcakes just came out of the oven. :)
DeleteHooray for a wonderful meal out! Hope your day today is wonderful :)
ReplyDeleteWe're heading to Lion's Park for the multiples play date this morning. followed by a picnic lunch and then we'll pick Ellis up from school. Later tonight is AWANA and all my little Cubbies!
DeleteHappy birthday! What a fun way to celebrate! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melissa! It's been a great birthday week. :)
DeleteHappy Birthday, Gabrielle! It sounds like you had a great day.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gwendolyn! It has been fun. :)
DeleteHow fun! Happy birthday! I hope you had a great time. My husband's birthday is this Saturday (he'll be 28). We're having some friends over for grilling and swimming (if it's hot enough). And my Friday post is gonna be on birthdays! I love birthdays! (OK, that was a lot of exclamation points...sorry. I just get excited about birthdays, ha.)
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of birthdays, too! It's a great time to celebrate the people you love. My husband's birthday is Dec. 27th and we always combine his birthday with a Christmas party for our friends and family - it makes me think of the lyrics to "Sleigh Ride" - "There's a birthday party at the home of Farmer Grey!" I hope you have great weather for Saturday. :) (P.S. I'm an exclamation points junky!)
DeleteHappy birthday, Gabrielle! I hope this is one of your best birthdays ever. Congrats on winning that lunch at your favorite restaurant and that your mom, mother-in-law and sister-in-law were able to join you. What a nice way to kick off your celebration. Enjoy the rest of your special day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog today, Keli, and thank you for the birthday wishes! It was a wonderful day with lots of good memories made. :)
DeleteHappy (belated) birthday! Glad you had such a fun time!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Caryn! I had a great day and I'm still enjoying my birthday cake. :)
Delete