thirty one
yesterday was my 31st birthday and it was one of my very favorites of all time- right up there with my 10th, 16th and 25th- the three that stand out the most to me. as a teacher, a summer birthday is pretty ideal and it was basically one amazing day. i woke up to a voicemail from my parents- they called at 7:12 am {the time that i was born} and sang ‘happy birthday’ to me. then at about 7:40, mr. monaco told me that he had a surprise for me – i was thinking breakfast, flowers, a book – it was a new iMac computer- something i have been saving up for for a long, long time. he set it up and had a photo from our wedding party/the bus on our wedding day as the background. i was beyond shocked and never saw it coming. i think he loves me- a lot. i spent the rest of the day at cafes, had happy hour with friends, went to a park uptown for live music, and then ended the night with drinks and dinner at soul – my favorite spot. i wanted to thank everything for the calls, texts, social media posts (over 250 on facebook- which really has a way of making a birthday special these days) gifts, messages – thanks so much for all the love. i felt it and feel so blessed and grateful for another year of fun, adventure, love and good health.
here are some photos from the day…
on sunday we celebrated with my family – a nice brunch in the country
my sister gave me such a thoughtful gift and card:
my dad sent me this photo and said he was thinking of me all day… so sweet. 
the napoleon roll at soul – my all time fav.
a sweet card from my niece, taylor, in philly – LOVED.
my babysitting kids gave me my favorite candle and sweet letters tuesday evening
and then sent a photo yesterday with a message!
thank you all again!
you all really know how to make a girl feel very special.
xo