wrapping up the 50th birthday celebrations

we all know that i am a pro at extending my birthday celebration for as long as possible, yes?  well, this year i managed it with an assist from mama wan.  she threw me a lovely family party at the frontrunner restaurant, located at the one and only santa anita race track.

i was so distracted during the actual party that i didn't take pictures - at least not ones that mattered, like with my mom or any of the other family members who took the time out of their schedules to come and join the celebration.  sheesh.  the only pictures i really got were of the food, starting with my ever-present mimosa:

if you're ever here for a race or an event or something, just know that the food at the frontrunner is really good!  

although i do believe that the cakes (yes, more than one because that's how we roll) were brought in, most likely from an asian bakery.  so good.

here's the only photos of actual people i got, heh.

earlier in the week, we'd spent some time inspecting the details and enjoying the various flavors of the cakes we'd brought home from the surprise party on my birthday.  plus, the hub unpacked and put out some of the decorations and turned the house into an extension of the big bash, which was fun.

but really - check out the amazing details on this cake!  just incredible.

this little part reminded me of the bean's version of "pirates of the caribbean" she'd surprised me with the year before.

churros and beignets and turkey legs - some of my favorite disneyland snacks!

the bean had a great time diving (almost literally) into those cakes to sample the flavors.  comedy.

if you're local to the rancho cucamonga area and need a custom cake that's beautiful and delicious, i can't recommend eileen at cucamonga cakery enough.  she's actually a former co-worker who found happiness and success in opening her own bakery, and at the risk of sounding super cheesy, she's just as sweet as the treats she makes.

and if all that wasn't enough, a few days later i received a package in the mail that contained this sweet gift from my sweet friend weezermonkey:

it sits proudly on the bar, where i see it every day.  it's an awesome keepsake from a day i'll never forget as long as i live.

it's like my very own pixar movie

last month, i had the opportunity to indulge in a little "holy shit, i'm turning 50" narcissism...and i took it.  it happened to be on a weekend during which everyone was gone for one reason or another, and i didn't tell them i was doing it.  i love photo shoots, but for some reason i felt a little embarrassed about doing this one because it just seemed so - i don't know, vain?  but i really liked the idea of giving myself this little present, and so i went for it.

my actual birthday is tomorrow, and i know the hub and the kids have some surprises that are sure to be awesome and wonderful planned for the weekend.  my mom is putting together a lovely family party for me next weekend, which should be fun. plus i've had several dinners this week with friends and received lots of flowers from them as well as two lovely floral deliveries from my sweet husband.  i'm feeling very special and very spoiled, and you know i'm loving every second of it.

my mini photo shoot yielded a lot of really cute shots, but i narrowed it down to a handful to share because no one needs to sit here and page through 50+ pictures of yours truly.  and if you can't tell, the shoots that day were themed after the movie "up."  here we go:

happy birthday to meeeeeeeee!

i love me mum

today is me mum's birthday!  yay!

she and my stepdad are celebrating quietly in a little cabin up in lake arrowhead.  she sent me this yesterday, and she looks so cute and happy:

because our schedules are so crazy (and ours is about to get even worse with school starting next week, eek), trying to figure out when we can get together is going to be tricky.  but that's okay - we'll find a date so we can meet up and celebrate her properly.

in the meantime, happy birthday mommy!  hope you have the most wonderful time up in the mountains!

that's my dawg

this little lady is 14 years old today!

i'm super grateful for this day, because the vet told us almost 9 months ago that she probably only had a few months left in her.  i really just wanted her to make it to her next birthday, but now that she has and is still as crazy and silly and feisty as ever, i'm hopeful that we'll get one more christmas with her, too.  she's the first pet i've ever had from puppy to old lady, and so all of this is totally new to me.  i adore her and can't imagine the house without her scampering around from one end to the other, hearing her nails clicking on the floor as she runs around, laughing as she jumps up onto the couch to bark at random people walking by, coming up to us when we get home with tail wagging and waiting to be given some love.  we've given her lots and lots of extra love these last nine months, and i think maybe that's even helped keep her going.  she feels our love and gives it right back.

i'm going to see if i can find a treat that she can have tonight to celebrate her birthday, and give her lots and lots of cuddles.  i love this dog so much.

here's a bunch of fun pictures we've taken over the last year.  happy birthday, little mollydog!