Milestone Birthday

I woke up Thursday to a new decade!

Stace made it special from the very start - when I emerged from my room to get my coffee, he had hung decorations and balloons everywhere before he left for work!

We went to Egg Plantation for breakfast with Christina and her girls. Egg Plantation is a great birthday breakfast choice, because the birthday person gets a free omelet.

After breakfast, we went to a nice resale shop around the corner and got a few things. Cora was in need of some dressy things for our upcoming cruise.

Later, I went out and got a fancy coffee drink at Undergrounds, with a gift card I'd received from the nursery coordinator at church a couple of months ago.

Isn't it pretty?

I took that drink with me through the car wash - yes, a birthday treat to myself was getting my car washed. It was so good to have a clean car again, especially the inside after I'd vacuumed it thoroughly.

Our evening was even more exciting than a car wash. We went out to dessert at Melanie's restaurant in Hollywood, and then walked around the corner to the Pantages to watch Wicked.

Melanie took great care of us, of course, and we even enjoyed a fabulous champagne toast. The desserts were all delicious, and I was sung to by my table and the table next to us.

Then, off to our musical! I saw Wicked 10 years ago when it was last in town, and I knew the whole family would love it. It tells an alternate story "behind the story" of the Wizard of Oz, with how the Wicked Witch of the West became who she was.

Since the girls both loved appearing in their school's productions of Wizard, I knew they'd enjoy this fabulous musical.

And Stace, who's not much of a musical guy, enjoyed it too. We all had a great night!

Stace and I bought the tickets, and took my parents as their Christmas present. For the first time, having a birthday so close to Christmas worked to my advantage. This was a birthday to remember!