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It was simply the best weekend. How could it not be? It was my birthday! Anyone that's ever had more than a five-minute conversation with me knows how much I love celebrating birthdays - and not just mine - anyone's big day. It's an entire day filled with happy well wishes, cake, presents and time together with family and friends. What's not to love?

My birthday was on a Friday this year, and Fridays are typically my most stressful day of the week. Weird, right? It's mostly due to the chaos of schlepping the kids to their morning activity, then rushing home to shovel lunch into their screaming mouths while I simultaneously pack the car with clothes, food and anything else needed for a weekend at the cabin. No amount of advanced planning seems to help dial down the Friday crazies.

So, early Friday morning I made the executive decision to skip music class in lieu of an easy, stress-free morning. A few minutes after Tory woke up that morning, I asked her if she remembered what was special about the day. "It's your birthday!" Tory exclaimed with wide eyes, and then said, "Just a minute, I have a special present for you." She ran to her room and emerged with a white box that read You are the best mom because you love me, you play with me, and you are my best friend. Inside the box was a fresh croissant for breakfast - my favorite! "I know you loooove croissants," Tory said. She was SO PROUD to present me with a special present, and it was the perfect start to my birthday. (Thanks, Grandma Janie, for arranging!)

After breakfast, the kids and I ran out to one of the nicer grocery stores in town to pick up a few ingredients for Andi and I's Saturday night Valentine's Day dinner. Normally, I try to avoid fancy grocery stores with Tory and Aden in tow because our general kid chaos usually solicits dirty looks, but this particular shopping trip was such a joy. We stopped by the meat counter to buy scallops and the butcher brought out live lobsters for Tory and Aden to see up close. It was so sweet the way he told them all about the creatures. Then, we meandered around the nearly-empty store in one of those giant shopping carts with the plastic car on the front while Tory and Aden played and I selected fancy desserts and a few other groceries for the cabin. It was one of those things that would've completely stressed me out any other day, but because it was my birthday (!!!) nothing could burst my bubble.

Later, Tory and Aden helped me bake an angel food cake for my birthday celebration that evening. Tory adorably said, "I've never made an angel cake before!" as she helped me mix together the ingredients. Shamefully, I admit I'd never made an angel food cake either. I had to watch a You Tube video to see how to work my angel food cake pan with the removable bottom. Glad to see I'm still learning new things at the ripe old age of 34!

Andi left work early on Friday afternoon, so we could get a jump-start on driving to the cabin. His employees probably think "Heather's birthday" is a national holiday based on all the blocks on his calendar this past week. Shortly after we arrived at the cabin, we met our friends Joe & Lisa and Oscar & Deanna at The County Line tavern for dinner. Then, they joined us at our cabin afterwards for angel food cake and cocktails. I loved spending my birthday with some of my favorite people.

I'm still riding the high from a great birthday celebration. Cheers to a fabulous year ahead!