A Surprise Early Birthday Party

We made plans with our friends Matt and Beau to hang out last night, since Wednesdays are our free nights while the kids are at church with their aunt. They asked if they could come over and cook dinner for everyone and catch up. It’s been way too long since we’ve all gotten together and I couldn’t think of anything more perfect to do on a Wednesday night.

They came over, we put on our favorite playlist, and poured the wine. Matt made delicious bolognese and Beau made some truly outstanding pull apart garlic bread. They took care of everything and all we had to do was sit back and relax- a rarity these days.

And then dinner was ready! How gorgeous is their presentation? They truly are the best hosts. Everything always looks perfect and they seem to think of it all, leaving no detail behind. Beau made his famous caesar salad that I find myself craving days after I’ve eaten it. I had two helpings of everything and I don’t regret a single moment.

By this time, the kids came home from church and visited for a bit before brushing their teeth and hopping in bed. It was way past their bedtime!

For dessert, I made this brown sugar cinnamon pop tart shortbread, which was heavenly, but just as I was cutting and plating it, Beau came in with A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY CAKE from my favorite local bakery and it completely caught me off guard!!

They said they weren’t sure if we would be in town for my birthday, since we played around with the idea of doing a little getaway to the beach shack for a few days this weekend, and wanted to celebrate early. How sweet/thoughtful/amazing is that?

I thought this was just going to be a regular ole’ Wednesday night dinner, but it was so much more than that. All of my favorite things in one night: pasta, bread, salad, wine, and cake. How did we get so lucky in life to end up with friends like this?

A strawberry cream cake is the way to my heart.

The rest of the evening was spent in the living room talking about work and life and watching Alyster sleep on Matt’s lap in the weirdest way.

With friends like these, and with my family by my side, my 33rd birthday feels like it might be one of the best ones yet. Matt and Beau are the kind of people who are really good at letting you feel special and making sure everything is taken care of. And sometimes, that’s all you really want in life. We are continuously and endlessly grateful for their friendship, and this morning I find myself feeling overjoyed for such a lovely night.

I only hope we are this good to others in our life, too.