fab forty

this September, I celebrated my fortieth birthday in grander style than I could have imagined, thanks to Nick's dedication and planning, and my wonderful family and friends! he has always been the master of surprises, from the time we were dating when he flew across the country to surprise me during summer break from college (with my parents' encouragement!), and then again when he came along with two of my best friends to visit me during a study abroad semester in Ireland (I knew they were coming, but he had told me he had a mandatory recital to play); his epic proposal when he surprised me in New Orleans during a cross-country road trip I was taking with two other best friends; the surprise vow renewal he planned at beautiful Heinz Chapel for our fifth anniversary, and the surprise 30th birthday party he threw for me at a French restaurant, complete with a party bus to take us around to all our favourite haunts afterwards. 

the birthday celebration kicked off the weekend before my actual birthday, with a trip out to the Strip district with Blair and Amy. they later admitted that this was a "decoy" party because they knew I would suspect something was weird if we didn't have plans to get together for my birthday. we checked out a new-to-me bar called Tapville Social. the entire back wall is a self-serve tap system for beer and wine (they even have some nonalcoholic options and cold brew available). you can also order cocktails and food from the waitstaff. it was fun to sample little bits of lots of things in a way that wouldn't work in a traditional bar (you swipe a card at each tap station and it charges you by the ounce for as much, or as little, as you want to pour). we played a round of mini golf at Puttshack, and ended up at our college watering hole, Milano's, for a Blue Moon pitcher just like old times. well, the actual old times would have seen us ordering the college special Bacardi pitchers, but I'm not sure they serve those anymore, which is probably for the best. 

couldn't resist ordering the autumn margarita flight! 

they had quite the photo set up with this neon sign that reflected upside down in the picture

our traditional fake laughing photo

...turned into real laughing!

we couldn't believe how empty Milano's was! I guess it was technically early for a Saturday night, but it felt late to us...

Nick had told me a few weeks before to keep the afternoon of Saturday, September 13, free because he had made lunch reservations for us. I didn't ask any other questions at the time. that morning, Greta had a cross country meet at a course about 30 minutes southwest of our house. Nick was antsy to leave as soon as she finished because our reservation was at noon. I had just thrown on my school spirit t-shirt and jeans that morning as we were scrambling to get out the door, hadn't put on any makeup, and in general wasn't looking like I would wish to for a special lunch. then again, I had no idea where we were going and decided to ask. Nick told me we were headed to Narcisi Winery, which is a gorgeous venue north of our house -- not necessarily fancy, as they have casual outdoor seating in addition to their main eating area, but I definitely did not want to be wearing jeans. as it turned out, Greta wanted to change out of her jersey and shorts anyway, so we made a ten-minute pit stop back at the house and I threw on a dress and a swipe of mascara across the eyes. 

as we pulled into the parking lot, I admit I scanned for cars I might recognize in case he was planning a surprise. I was guessing that perhaps my cohort of BFFs from college, and possibly some of my friends from our church moms group, would meet us. as we walked up to the hostess stand, Nick gave his name, and the hostess said, "Will, party of six?" and Nick confirmed. so I knew it was just going to be our immediate family, which was still very thoughtful of him -- I'd only been to Narcisi twice before, and absolutely loved it for its beautiful ambience, delicious food, and of course, their wine! another server approached and asked, "party of six? right this way" and led us towards the outdoor pavilion. 

while we walked, I was holding Victoria's hand and keeping an eye on the sidewalk so she didn't trip over any uneven areas. the server stopped just inside the entrance to the pavilion and I finally looked up and took in the scene in front of me: the entire pavilion was full of people -- friends, family, coworkers, and a sizeable contingent of priests, as any good party should have! after about thirty seconds I suddenly spotted my dad walking towards me from the back of the pavilion, and I burst into tears at the realization that he had flown across the country to be here just for this moment! my Auntie Kris had flown in from Boston too. Joe and Sabrina were here from central Pennsylvania, and our friends from Erie had been planning to come down but ended up getting horribly sick that weekend -- so sad. our good friend Father Aron drove all the way out from his hometown 45 minutes away just to wish me happy birthday -- he couldn't stay long because of family obligations but still made the effort to be there. it was absolutely incredible. 

in the video below, you can see the server in the red shirt walking in front, and the rest of the family following behind, while Nick wonders when the heck I'm going to figure it out and the older girls can barely contain their excitement. (thanks to Sabrina for capturing this moment!)

screenshot from a video my dad took

every detail of the afternoon was perfect. the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and while the pavilion was shaded and cool with fans, all the kids were happy to run around outside on the grass and go down to the creek to play while the adults visited. the food was amazing, as I knew it would be, and the servers kept a steady supply of wine slushies at the ready (Nick told me the total count at the end of the party was 64!), along with several varieties of wine and beer. several of my friends had arrived early to help set up. Nick had designed a banner and had it professionally printed on canvas, and he and the girls put together dozens of posters with photos of me from over the years (many thanks to my mom and Auntie Kris who supplied most of the childhood photos). 

college friends

father and father-in-law!

Sabrina and Auntie Kris

kids playing just outside the pavilion. they had bubbles and coloring books, and came up with lots of their own fun too.

sweet Karissa, another Washington state-to-Pittsburgh transplant!

a sweet moment with my oldest girl. she and Cece kept the surprise so well!!

this cake was so hilarious. that's a picture from a vacation in my twenties!

I didn't manage to take pictures of all of the posters, but here are some highlights. the amount of work that went into curating, printing, and putting together these photos was phenomenal! 

the Back in the 1900s title was all Greta's idea... har har har

this photo was particularly shocking to our children. Elizabeth guessed that the person standing next to me was my sister Kira. at age 19, we both had far more piercings and one of us had much longer hair than we do now...

and the food deserves another shout-out. everything was so good, and as an added bonus, they packaged up all of the leftovers for us to take. I didn't need to cook for the next few days, and was even able to freeze some of the food to enjoy a few months later. I can't believe I failed to take a picture of the incredible charcuterie spread on the other table. it was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate!

as we cut the cake, a band was setting up on the outdoor stage and their music just added to the festive atmosphere. the timing could not have been more perfect -- it was nice to have it quieter during the first part of the party to more easily be able to visit with friends, and then the live music made it feel even more special. 

My YouTube Short

all the kids wanted to pluck a candle out of the cake to lick the icing from it

this little cicada was the source of MUCH excitement as it kept flying around the tables

we have been friends since our oldest babies were literal babies! just missing one (whose daughter was running in the same cross country meet as Greta that morning, and who DID NOT spill the beans during our twenty-minute conversation between heats!!)

best. husband. ever.

the icing on the proverbial cake was that Nick had already arranged for Dad and Auntie Kris to take the kids back to the house after the party was over, so that we could go out on the town with friends. not only that, but he had arranged for our neighbor Kim to come over the next morning to help out with the kids so I could sleep in! I ended up not needing her to do that, but his thoughtfulness and her willingness to help were so touching! 

making the most of the gorgeous weather at Eleventh Hour Brewing

it was very dark so my phone did not want to cooperate, but had to capture our visit to the speakeasy cocktail bar. by this point, Nick and John had joined us

so many cards, and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot from my friend Sarah!

the best kind of leftovers

on my actual birthday the following Monday, I went into work like usual, but of course had to stop for my Starbucks birthday beverage. and my sweet coworkers had brought me a cake! I am still overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled by the incredible outpouring of love and kindness from everybody. it was truly a birthday to remember! 

with birthday money from Auntie Kris, I treated myself to a new handbag and I love it so much! it's the perfect size. 

among many other thoughtful gifts, this personalized book stamp is one of my favourites (from two of my coworkers!)