My 40th Birthday Month-Long Celebration

Forty isn't so bad when you celebrate it constantly throughout your birthday month.  Seriously.  So many celebrations and it was awesome.  The first one, the night before my birthday, was "technically" a surprise party.  While my husband tried his best to keep the party a surprise, him leaving out the detailed notes (date, time, location, #of people) in my office for an entire weekend destroyed any chance of the party being a surprise.  So it wasn't.  But who was coming WAS the surprise and it was good.  ;)  

My family (Dad, Mom and Brother) designed my cake.  For the last 2 years, I've been a Coordinator for my daughter's American Heritage Girls troop.  I've love every minute of it.  Playing off of that "scouting" idea, my family designed some badges that I've earned over the years.  My cake was a really creative recap of my first 40.    

The party guests included friends from grade school (Kim and Jamie pictured below), high school and...

college (Kelly and Marie pictured below).  Oh the stories that were shared.  ;)

Here's the posse in its entirety and we were a silly crew.  This pose is my favorite by the way.  Nothing gets people laughing like trying to take a very serious or angry picture!!  LOL!!

Kids (and adults) love the silly faces....

And here are the nice smiles.  

And then, much to my surprise, I came home to 40 flamingos in my front yard.  Where did they come from, I wonder?!!

On my birthday, my girls got to make me a cake; something they desperately wanted to do.

 I even "let them" frost it too!  

Recycled badges and almost all of the candles -- this was a purdy cake!!  XOXO

The following weekend, I had a wonderful group of my friends over for a few rounds of Bunco.  The theme was pajamas and big hair and boy did we deliver.

If you've never played Bunco, you are missing out!  Get a group together and start playing!  The laughter - the moving - the counting ---- it's awesome!!  

A special thank you to everyone who made my birthday (month) so special.  My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much!  You are all so loved!  Thank you!!!