The Bestest Birthday Gift Ever!!!

Thursday afternoon was my 34th birthday. My friends snagged me last Saturday and surprised me with a fantastic Pirate Party and really ya'll, as far as I was concerned it doesn't get better than dressing up like a pirate and acting silly in public with your closest friends... but boy, was I wrong...

Two of my dearest friends, Brad and Rachel, have been waiting for a long time for their son to come home to them from South Korea. The adoption has been a long process, with a lot of tears and joy mingled throughout. Needless to say, we (them, their family and friends) were anxious for Matthew to be in their arms.

Last Monday Rachel received a phone call from the adoption agency that said Matthew would be coming home on Thursday (my birthday... I KNOW, how cool is that?) We were a couple of the friends they asked to witness this miraculous moment and oh, the sweetness of it all.

Grab a tissue (or 10), sit back and enjoy an evening and birthday I will never forget!

Chad drove a van full of girls to Chicago!! Yeah for road trips!

This is me and Joanna and Sara

This is the Chicago traffic... Yeah for rush hour! Ha!

This is the Chicago skyline and let me just say almost impossible to capture in a moving vehicle on the expressway. But finally all those darn semis got out of the way...

The board showed that Matthew's plane had landed and we were just waiting for the "arrived"

One of the 50 best and totally unrateable moments of the night was when Brad gasped "There his is"!

In his Momma's arms... right where he is supposed to be.

Oh the joy!!

Father and son!

A family of 3

The new Hunt family of 3 along with the couple that escorted Matthew from South Korea

A precious moment during a prayer. The sweet man from South Korea wanted to pray for their family. Not an eye was dry. It was so beautiful to hear him praying in his native language for this new family.

And this is the eye candy... can you hardly stand it. He is so beautiful!

Congratulations dear friends! You finally have your little boy!!

Ahoy Me Mateys... Yo Ho!!

Last night my bestest friends were nothing short of a rag-tag group of scurvy pirates!





And it was all for my birthday!

When I showed up to Applebee's for our long anticipated date night I was met my friend Rachel who held a scroll in her hand...

...a scroll that I was to open...



which contained the following:



and...



along with this clue...



Which led me to the Outback where I was met by my other friend Rachel



Who held another clue...



along with some fabulously large silver hoop earrings and a pirate bandana for my hair...

This would also be the point in the story where we run into a very lovely and classy couple that attends our church... you'd think I might be embarrassed at this point... but that would indicate you don't know me very well.

Strap up ya scurvy landlubbers we're about to set sail!!

Off to the Olive Garden we go... yo ho!!







Where we had a fabulously Piratey dinner... and an extreme amount of laughter, eye patches, pirate tattoos, not to mention a few funny looks and exclamations of "Look they're pirates"!!

I think this was the most wonderful birthday surprise I've ever had and I love my friends to bits for getting dressed up and silly for me!! You guys are the bestest Piratey Pals ever! And, should I ever take to the high seas... you will be the first Scurvy Dogs I call!