a truly happy birthday

out in the woods on a cozy little farm, the chickens roamed free. people gathered. champagne was poured. chefs were busy preparing our meal. winemakers mingled. the anticipation was building... for what turned out to be one of the most unforgettable nights of my life.

we were seated at a long row of picnic tables in the greenhouse. just as the first course was served we could hear the pitter-patter of rain. the room buzzed with conversation, ours included. we were seated in between 2 families - to my right was a mother, father and their grown son - to my left was a grandmother, her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. by the end of our 4 course dinner they felt like old friends. they were some of the nicest and most interesting people i have ever met in my life. and we were reminded once again what a small world it is. i heard a woman three down from me mention cincinnati. turns out she lives in cincinnati and works for Luxottica. we'll be on the same flight to cincy on monday. when talk turned to cincinnati, the grandmother beside me told us that her granddaughter lives in cincinnati because her husband is the librarian at Miami University. the woman next to kevin has a best friend that lives in cincinnati and is a nurse at Children's Hospital. yes, it is definitely a small world.

the food was divine. the wine was plentiful. the conversation was rich. it was a perfect birthday dinner. i had this great feeling through the entire evening that i was exactly where i was supposed to be. and if that's all my day had been, i would have been a very happy 35 year-old woman.

but there was more...

my day started with brooke coming into our bedroom and exclaiming, "happy birthday, mommy!" she must have awaken thinking about it because it was the first thing out of her mouth at 6:30am. so sweet. kevin went out for doughnuts, then he and the kids put candles in them and sang happy birthday. brooke and gavin both helped me blow out the candles. i finished the morning by getting my brand new iphone 4 up and running :) i even used the new "face time" feature to call my sister. so cool! then i was off to the local nail salon for a little "me" time :) the sky was blue, and the sun was shining. i arrived home to homemade birthday cards, a happy husband and happy children.

... and that is all i could possibly wish for.