SURPRISE!!- warning this is a long post :)

So its been awhile since I last posted...it has been a busy couple of weeks for us with the Tropical Storm Ida and a mild case of pneumonia in our house plus I knew this post was going to take me awhile to complete because it deserves the time. So I will start from the beginning, as I mentioned before the weekend after my birthday Chad had planned a weekend away for the 2 of us. Probably about a month before we left he kept talking about all these surprises he had planned for me for the weekend so that got me excited! He kept saying you are going to love the surprises I have planned. I think he mentioned the word surprise everyday that month. And for those of you who do not know this about Chad he was the kid that had to wear his new shoes out of the store because he was so excited and it benefits him to buy my Christmas presents just a few days before Christmas that way he doesnt have to keep them a secret too long!! So the night before we left I could just tell by his face he was so flipping excited about our trip he couldnt stand it. He went to sleep early the night before because he said that way tomorrow will come faster. I love that he is like this by the way! Ok this is starting to get long winded...So we are off to the beach. On the way he explains to me that when we arrive I am going to think that the place we are staying is way too large for just us but the lady who owns the house really wanted to rent it out so she gave him this unbelievable deal that he couldn't pass up. So I buy it until we pull up on this...

So yes my mind starts thinking...this is WAY too much space we dont need all this! But it could be fun. The house was great very well decorated with a contemporary beachy style. Well as I am taking a few pics of the house before our stuff takes over I hear the doorbell!! Surprise #1 Lorie and Jody! Yay! And then a few minutes later Jeanna and Jennifer!! Yay! And Lorie brought this delicious cake below (from Edgar's yes strawberry cake!!)

Chad has the biggest grin on his face. He was so proud of himself and I was so proud of him too! And it was not over yet. the four girls before dinner...

The 6 of us head to dinner at the Old Florida Fish House in Seagrove. Great place by the way!! After dinner we decided to hang out at the bar and listen to their house band and around 10:30 Julie, Corey, Lea and Russ arrive. I was completely shocked. I now had all my closest friends with me to celebrate my birthday!! How perfect!! The picture below is from that night shortly after Julie and Lea arrived. Not the best pic of me (apparently I thought something was pretty funny) but I thought it captured how much fun we had that night.

All of the girls!!

The handsome boys!

Saturday Seaside was hosting the Seeing Red Wine Festival (the main reason why Chad and I wanted to go this particular weekend). Jeanna, Lorie, Chad and myself bought tickets and the rest of the gang watched the AL vs LSU game at a local pizza place. The wine festival was so much fun!! The weather could not have been more perfect, we tasted lots of really good wine, the food was delicious and we met some funny people. This day was definitely the highlight of the weekend. A few pics from the festival below...

This is the weather we had the entire weekend. It was absolutely perfect!! Who wouldnt want to go to the beach in November when it looks like this!

This was definitely the best birthday celebration I have ever had and the memories we made will never be forgotten. I owe it completely to my thoughtful husband. He planned this trip with all of my closest friends just for me. He said in his initial email to the group that he has thought about what he could get me for my birthday and the only thing he knows I love but do not have is lots of time with my friends. How sweet is that!! I am the luckiest girl in the world. He spent the time searching for a place and coordinating all the details with everyone and I had NO clue!! Kind of scary when you think about it :) Chad, anything else I need to know...

Also this weekend would not have been possible if my friends had not made the effort to come. I am so grateful to you all for leaving your babies behind, taking time off work and making the long drive to the beach to celebrate my birthday. Words cannot express how much it meant to me that you all were there! It goes to show you that distance and time apart doesn't change a thing when you have such wonderful friendships. That weekend it felt like Auburn and Bham again and we never left :)

And one last little story...On our way out on Sunday poor Corey was taking out the trash and a glass bottle sliced open his leg and they had to make a trip to the local ER before heading home. 11 staples!! Sorry Corey but I guess you will have a small scar that will always remind you of this trip!!

Happy Halloween 2009

To start off the Halloween festivities, James' class at day care had a little Halloween party Friday afternoon. It was so much fun to see him interact with the other kids in his class. They had so much fun and thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween cup cakes. It was a real treat for James!

Then Saturday was the day. We had such great weather and enjoyed watching Auburn football especially since they won a game!! Oh and Meme, Papop, and Nana came to visit to celebrate mine and Anna's birthday. We celebrated by going to dinner Friday night and then enjoying some Italian cream cake for dessert. We opened presents and since I was already in my pajamas we did not take any pictures of the night :). But back to Saturday...I first wanted to include a picture of James last year on Halloween. It is amazing how much he has changed in just one year :)

Our little Pirate!

James does not like wearing anything on his head so it was very hard to find a costume that did not have significant head attire. We did try real hard to get a few pictures of the different head accessories individually even though they are supposed to be all worn together...that was NEVER going to happen with him...

Nana participating in the festivities :)

We took James around "the loop" for some trick or treating and he loved it. He has never eaten candy before but he still got excited about putting treats in his little bag and I will say at times he was selective about his candy choices :) It was a great Halloween!



And yes now I am officially 30! It is not too terrible. Chad is taking me on a little getaway trip this weekend to celebrate while KK and Pop stay home with James. Chad claims he has several surprises in store (I love surprises!). We do not get away very often so we are really looking forward to it!!