What a year, quite a celebration and one grateful girl!
Ok, two grateful girls! 
I got so lucky this year because Billy waited until after my birthday weekend to fly back to Phili AND my amazing mama and daddy brought him to me to join in the festivities!
Billy and Mama added to Lous decorations and surprised me with balloons, more banners and many presents when I got home from work….
26 and still sooo spoiled on my birthday… I love it!
We made MANY last minute decisions on the big birthday weekend, the only thing that was actually planned was Saturday going to the Deuling piano tapas bar … until we found out you have to make reservations 2 weeks ahead of time… I hate Atlanta!
( Good news is since I still REALLY wanted to go, I took moms advice and we made reservations for next Friday! So excited!)
Anyway, so night one of celebrating after work we opted for Chow Baby… they have the best mojitos!!
and endless amounts of food! 
Then it was the best part of birthdays… Presents time! 
OK and the cupcakes (thanks to mama)!
I was blown away with my presents, phone calls, texts and fb posts this year… Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone!!
The next morning I was ready for my absolute favorite part of Birthday weekend…
No, it’s actually not the partying, cake, shopping, attention or even getting to pick my favorite restaurants all weekend, actually it’s knowing I get to decorate my house for Christmas that weekend!
Ahhhh, I think I may have a decorating party for my birthday next year?
Getting a tree is a tradition Lou started for my birthday in college and we have continued it since…
The first year he surprised me with a tree on my birthday morning… I remember smelling it before my eyes even opened :)
Since then we have made it a tradition to pick it out together which he may regret…
Similar to when we pick out pumpkins (and several other things) I become quite the perfectionist… Lou knows he will never get away with picking the closest, most convenient one… aka the one every one looked at and put back for some reason….. but this doesn’t stop him from trying…
Silly Lou, you know you have to dig for the good ones :)
Aren’t you glad you married someone with a good picker, yet again we found THE perfect tree!
Alex got out of decorating the tree this year, considering he would really only get in mom and I’s way anyway and he had a lot of yard work to do :) What really go me though was Tuckers lack of interest in decorating the tree this year… He usually loves helping me decorate the tree and this year I had to bribe him to even sit in the room to watch me do it…
(FYI: not sure which one of us is more codependent of each other, but yes, I realize Tuck and I are pathetic)
I love my little man.
Milly tried to fill in for him this year and seem interested but she only lasted about 10 seconds and was over it…
The good news is that I realized after talking to Alex, is that Tuck had been watching Alex in the yard the entire time we were decorating the tree….
This is a good thing just so ya know, it means he actually ISN’T too old to find decorating the tree with mom more fun, it’s just that his dad was doing something MORE fun…. and I can handle that :)
He loves his mom but he is ALL boy and the yard is his territory!
While decorating the inside is MINE!
This year I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go with Birthday decorations or Christmas for Saturday night… so we called it Bipolar and did both! 
Saturday was the night we had planned to go to Red Sky, but with it being booked our last minute decision night # 2 ended up being Ormsbys.. the birthday place!
The 3 Atlanta girlies left standing, we missed you Kayla!! 
Pretzels, wine and Andys flask… life is good!
I attempted to order a Mojito this night as well, but as soon as an orange champagne glass came out I realized I accidently said Mimosa…. I hate when i do that!
Yes, it has happened more than once!
Always safe with Pinot… and pretzels :) 
My 2 favorite boys besides Tuck :) 
Yay for darts, the only game Liz and I didn’t get kicked out of! 
Birthday success! 
Sunday I had to get my shopping fix in for the week, ok maybe just for the weekend!
I had recently explained Pinterest to Alex as free shopping since I get a feeling of fulfillment when “pinning” things to my boards as if I own them…
(Click here to see my pinterest boards)
Except for the “DIY”, sometimes ya have to buy supplies before you actually “do it yourself”… right?
Luckily I found these glass vases for 3.99 at World Market and they were the exact shape I was looking for to copy this idea I found on Pinterest: Christmas tree branches and cranberries floating in water! 
DIY success!
Next DIY, I want to cut our wedding invitation into strips and put them into a clear glass ball ornament :)
Oh yes, and you do know that as part of my birthday weekend I demanded my family go on a “Griswald family Christmas shopping event right!?! All were promised their favorite meal after participating if they were good :)
For mom, dad Alex and I that was Mexican and for Billy that meant brining along his SOUL VEGETARIAN!
You didn’t think we would let him come all the way to Georgia and not eat Soul Vegetarian did you?!?!?!
SO that was my birthday this year, are you exhausted?
I am…. and so is Mills, we’re off to bed!
Ohh yes and Happy 60th Birthday today Mrs. Karen, we hope it was amazing and that you spent every minute doing what you love! We miss you very much!! 
Another prayer for safe travels please! 
