birthday princess day, part 2

well...i guess i lied when i said it wouldn't be a week before i continued the recap of birthday princess day 50.0.  oops. i'm sorry!  it's been a busy week, but better late than never?

so when we got to the langham the entry was jam packed with people.  i could see lots of colorful saris exiting cars in front of us and the hub said "oh yeah, there's a big indian wedding happening here tonight" and i didn't even question why he even knew that.  heh.  and then we finally pulled in, handed the keys to the valet and headed on in towards the restaurant.

here's what happened next:

the hub and the old lady had assembled the greatest group of people from all parts of my life into one place to surprise me with a bash that i wasn't expecting...at all.  i remember him opening the door and the first thing i noticed was my friend jessica's shiny blonde hair and everyone shouting "SURPRISE!" and then i was so completely overwhelmed and shocked and i'm surprised i didn't just pass out cold right then and there.  it was so wonderful and i felt so incredibly loved.

and i was completely bowled over when cousin seven, who lives in seattle now, ran up to give me a big hug.  i couldn't believe she'd flown down just to be there that night, and so not only was i all sweaty, but teary as well.  i was a mess, heh.

and my mom and stepdad were there too.

the entire patio was taken up by so many friends and family, and i still tear up a little when i think of how touched i was by every moment of that evening.  i mean...look at how pretty it was!

and there were not just one, not two, but THREE incredible cakes.  i recognized them immediately as the work of the lady who did our wedding cakes for us (during which there were also three because we couldn't decide on just one), and just look at the details and artistry:

there were cookies too, decorated with vintage disneyland attraction posters.  so adorable.

i realized pretty early into the night that the bean was nowhere to be found, but the old lady was quick to tell me that she was upstairs in a guest suite with a few of the other kids whose parents were downstairs with us.  i missed her, but i figured she was likely having more fun where she was than where we were.  and it allowed a few of the guests to be there without having to figure out a babysitter for the evening, which was awesome.

many photos were taken, although there are still more friends that i now realize i never got to take pictures with.  dang it.

it was funny listening to the hub and the old lady talk about how long they'd been planning this surprise, and i'm still in awe of how perfectly they pulled it off.  i literally had no idea, and not a single person amongst that entire group (most of who i talk to really regularly, too!) spilled it ahead of time.

the evening went by in a big sweaty blur, while i tried my best to hug each and every person who was there and spend time with them all.  i remember thinking that i just wanted to savor every second of the evening, and hoped that everyone was having as much fun as i was.

at one point the hub got up in front of everyone to thank them all for coming and for helping to keep the whole thing a secret from me, and i - well, i just keep thinking of how much love i felt and continue to feel every time i think of this night.

unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and the party eventually started to wind down.  i hugged everyone as they left, and we found that we had two entire cakes left.  the hub and the old lady and the fiance loaded up this cart to take upstairs, and then it was all over.

the bean seemed happy to see us when we got upstairs, and my feet were pretty excited to be released from the heels they were so unaccustomed to being in.  the room was really lovely, as one would expect from the langham, and the kids all headed into a room of their own just down the hall.

it had been a magical day from start to finish, and one to remember forever.  i can't thank everyone enough for how special they made me feel - whether they were there or sent birthday greetings via text and social media - i felt the love all day long.  just so wonderful.