Cearra arrived home thursday, and the first surprise for C was that Curt would be joining us for the weekend! Curt and I had been emailing and texting for weeks, and we managed to keep his arrival a secret from Cearra.
That is until Owen, looking out an upstairs window at a neighbor cutting the lawn, loudly proclaimed, "there's a new car outside"; causing Cearra to look out the big foyer window and say "Jodi, is that Curt's car? Is Curt HERE?" mere moments before he was going to ring the bell for the final "ta-da!". It was still a great surprise.
Next, dinner at Paradiso in downtown Westminster. Bob actually left the office before 7:30 pm; Allen braved a torrential downpour to deliver Nanny, Aunt Maria and Hannah safely at our doorstep; and for the first time in recorded history Nana and Pop-pop (plus Aunt Sue) were a little late (and went straight to the restaurant rather than meeting at our house first as planned). Todd finally broke free from work and arrived just as we were all getting ready to dig in.
Cheers to Cearra's 21st birthday! Owen loves the toasting thing.
Hannah was so happy when her daddy arrived. Maria was too.
Good Moscato with dinner.
Very good!
Appetizers and presents ... Cearra received always appreciated cash; a gorgeous monogram necklace from Nana and Pop-pop; a sparkly heart necklace from Uncle Todd and Aunt Maria; and an amazing memory box from Nanny that captured some of the special moments of Cearra's life journey, and beautifully displayed the love her entire family has for her.
I had asked Owen what he wanted to give Cearra and without prompting he chose nail polish and lip gloss. At the store he picked hot pink polish and watermelon gloss - Cearra was happily suprised with his choices!
Bob and I wanted to give Cearra something that represented her first 21 years, and looked ahead to her wonderful future. So weeks ago Cearra and I had stopped at a few jewelry stores downtown, and I had sneakily pretended to checking out a Troll bracelet and charms for myself as a future gift from Bob. But I was really paying close attention to what Cearra liked!
We started her bracelet with a silver crab to represent her July birthday, and an engraved "21" bead so she'd always remember this occasion. But the really special touch was the faceted greenstone bead I ordered from New Zealand to commenerate her recent trip there.
An airmail envelope from New Zealand holds a special surprise!
After a yummy meal we headed back to the house for our traditional ice cream cake; comfy clothes; and more laughing. Truly a wonderful night celebrating our wonderful Cearra!
That's a lot of candles C! And a little something for Owen's upcoming birthday too.
2 comments:
Jodi and Bob,
Dad and I want to thank you so much for having us to C's 21st birthday dinner and celebration and for including Aunt Sue. I think she has found a new wine!! Needless to say we all had a wonderful time. It was nice to see everyone and to celebrate with our grown-up Granddaughter. It was great and now we are looking forward to our vacation. Love, MOM
What great pictures, and an even 'greater' evening. We had a wonderful time, the atmosphere, the food, and the family, but most of all the lovely lady whose birthday we celebrated! Another wonderful memory to treasure... and so thankful Jodi for your blog, which helps to keep those treasured moments a 'touch' away.
Wishing you all a wonderful vacation, filled with good times, beautiful weather, and lots of memorable pictures you can share! Love, Mom/Nanny
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