It was such a treat to get to visit my dearest, closest, and oldest (not in age) bestest friend, Susanna. We've been friends since the second grade. We were so very close during our school years. She was one of the only friends that I was allowed to have sleep overs with - this means a lot as in my mom trusted her and her family. After high school we went to separate colleges, she went to Berkeley, I went to Irvine and even though we were far away, I knew I could always call her anytime no matter what, then we graduated, she went off to Michigan to pursue her degree in Pharmacy and I got married. Fast forward a few more years and she married, had kids. And although the dreams we shared together growing up on our long walks through P.V. didn't quite workout the way we planned like living right next door to each other, having family dinners together weekly, traveling together with our families, etc. We now have the privilege of sharing our children together. Which this in itself is so special to me. So, in honor of Satya's birthday, we drove from San Diego to Sherman Oaks to spend time with them and celebrate.
Satya's birthday was quite special for Olivia. She had been looking forward to the party for weeks, and as the time got closer Olivia would count down. A few days before the party Olivia mentioned to me during the day that she wished it was night time so she could fall asleep and Satya's birthday would come sooner!! She was so excited to pick out Satya's gift, a jewelry box that had shiny stickers that looked liked gems to decorate because she had one that she got for her birthday.
The party was a fairy princess theme. Olivia wore her tutu, fairy wings and homemade wreath. When we arrived Satya was dressed in a princess Aurora dress but throughout the party, Satya changed about half a dozen times into different dresses. It was so adorable and a little funny to me to see how girlie Satya was becoming especially given the fact that Susanna is not that way. The kids jumped in a bounce house, had a fairy do face painting and balloons, played together, had lunch and cake then the party closed with a pinata. The kids had a blast!
It |
| A visit from a fairy for face painting |
 |
| Satya the birthday princess |
 |
| Olivia the fairy |
 |
| The girl's waiting for the cake |
 |
| Princess cake arrives |
 |
| Satya blows out her candles |
 |
| Savoring delicious princess cake |
 |
| Happy fairy princesses |
 |
| Lining up for the pinata |
 |
| Waiting for a turn |
 |
| Watching Satya take the first hit at the pinata |
 |
| Birthday princess breaking the pinata |
 |
| Olivia hits the pinata |
 |
| So excited for the pinata treats |
 |
| The beautiful Chang family |
 |
| The girls hanging out |
 |
| The girls enjoying their treats |
 |
| Birthday princess and her lolly |
 |
| Satya, Shiloh and cousins |
After the party we spent the afternoon hanging out with our dear friends. The kids played with Satya's new toys. Their favorite seemed to be a princess book that contained a projector and movies. The girls immediately huddled in Satya's closet, the darkest place in Satya's room to watch the movies, play and giggle. They are truly adorable together.
Once the weather cooled off, we spent the evening outside chatting, eating delicious Thai food,and playing.
 |
The girls were so adorable together
|
|
 |
| Loving our baby Nathaniel |
 |
| The sweetest thing to see my boys together |
 |
Dan and Kaleb skateboard jousting
At around nine o'clock we brought the kids in and had a family sleepover. The girls took a bath together, the boys watched the women's world cup and then the girls attempted to sleep together in Satya's room. At around 10:15 the air conditioner turned on and Olivia thought the sound was a tornado and she quickly asked to sleep with us.
|
 |
| Bath time |
The next morning we enjoyed a little playtime, delicious breakfast and then Susanna and I went off for a walk. Initially we took the girls with us. Once the girls got tired we returned them to the hubbies and continued our walk. It was so wonderful to have some time alone with my friend. We had a chance to connect without the kids interrupting and an oppurtunity to catch up. It made me realize how much I miss not having more time with Susanna. I really wish we lived much closer to each other. She is such a wonderful friend! She is so smart, beautiful, strong, sweet, thoughtful, and such a great listener. I'm amazed that we've known each other for over 25 years.
I'm so sad that we didn't take a picture together during our visit. So I'm doing the next best thing and posting two pictures of us that are pretty special to me, one is of our Jr. High graduation, 22 years ago, and the other is of us pregnant with our girls.
 |
| Ridgecrest Graduation 1989 |
 |
| Susanna 3 months and Me 4 moths pregnant January 2007 |
No comments:
Post a Comment