birthday bash weekend//friday

Life has been on-the-go since before Thanksgiving and hasn't slowed down til this very day. I frankly have been exhausted from everything these last few months!

Right after Christmas, I started prepping and planning my big 30th birthday bash set for Saturday, January 26th!

I actually ordered my birthday invites the week of December 14th because I had a promo code to use at Shutterfly that I had won in a giveaway, which saved me tons of money. Literally, on the 26-27th of December, I started addressing the invites. There were about a little over 100 people invited (most family) and 80 people showed up despite the cold and rainy day!

Soon after, I wrote out the Mexican food menu I wanted to have and planned to ask certain family members to make certain things that are my faves that they particularly make.

This was the biggest and best birthday I've had so far for many reasons, including:

1. Family from both my dad's side and mom's side gathered together for a joyous occasion! [typically, ever since I was young, neither side of the family mixed unless my brother or I was sick/in the hospital or high school graduations-just the way things were, not for any bad reason] 

2. my dad and aunt june made it possible for my brother Alaska and his gf to come to Arizona from Oregon for the weekend!! It was a TOTAL SURPRISE to me as well as to my grandpa henry and to my nana & grandpa manuel! Having my brother here to celebrate with us was the best gift eVeR!! We (my family) hadn't seen my brother in nearly two years!

Before I get any more deep in detail, I thought I'd break up my birthday party weekend. 

Scenes from Friday (January 25th). Alaska and his gf come to my house and SURPRISE me with their presence!!

I was in my pj's/no makeup/eating a piece of hungry howie's pizza. 

Around 12:30pm, heide walks to the family room from the kitchen saying, "i have a surprise for you" and right behind her is my brother!!

I screamed OMG! went to hug him. I cried in his embrace for a good three minutes! hahahahaha

We then took a walk to the grocery store and hung out at starbucks.

Funny thing too, my dad had called me the night before-Thursday- to see if I was going to be home the next day, which I was {alaska and his gf were right there listening to my and dad's convo--apparently i was on speaker phone and had NO CLUE!] My dad was a HUGE help in setting up the party and bringing tables and chairs and other stuff we needed. He just told me, "ok,I'm thinking I'll get there (my house) by 2:30 on saturday to help set up."

stay tuned for what happened on the big day!