Labor Day Weekend!

It was an amazing, wonderful, incredible Labor Day Weekend!

Not sure how else to describe a weekend filled with family and friends and the ocean...oh yeah and my Birthday...ha ha!!!

Friday

Janie and I met for our annual birthday lunch.  We met at her fave, Legal C Bar in Lynnfield.  It was awesome...just to catch up personally (we do here and there but most of the time we are talking work when we are in the office so it is nice to be able to decompress together.)  She spoiled me rotten...she is one of the kindest and most generous souls I know..so glad we were brought together

and this is one of the little treasures she surprised me with...perfection

Saturday

While I was sipping my coffee, I finished a presentation for work.  While I was doing that, my father in law came up and surprised me with a bday gift from him and my mother in law.  They are pink golf balls and not just any golf balls.  He had them monogrammed so my name is on them and when I hit them into the woods, I will be able to find them easily ;) (hysterical!)

After that, my besties and I hit the beach.  We went to Wallis Sands in Rye which is a beautiful little beach on my favorite coastline...NH.  We all packed yummy snacks and wine and had a ball.  The lifeguard actually liked us and gave us tips on how to keep the seagulls away...he didn't seem to mind that we were sipping on wine.  He actually was even so good that he took our picture for us!

(First this is the lovely young man that saw the birthday crown on me that Lea got me and insisted I wear.  He asked me if I was 28...AND THEN he gave us free parking because of my birthday...loved him!  Doesn't he look like a Gap model?)

(and the Birthday Crown- Exhibit A)

Bestie Beach Time!

(oh BA...you kill me!)

Saturday Night

We headed over to our hotel in Portsmouth to check in and get ready for dinner.  Our hubbies met us there and we all walked over to Rudi's which was a quick walk away.  Our friends Joe and Jess snagged a private room for our group (at no additional charge) and we lived it up...great food and so many laughs...happy place!

(1st there is nothing more beautiful than the coast up in Rye NH...this was the view on the way to the hotel)

and later at Rudi's :)

  

After dinner, we headed out to a few different places.  My favorite of all time, Martingale Wharf and then the group started to split....a couple friends and I hit a club called Latchkey and the band was awesome...we got some dancing in before calling it a night!

Random shots after dinner...

 Such a fun time!

Sunday

We headed out and went to my parents.  They had the girls for us overnight and of course, spoiled them rotten!  They got the girls Build a Bears and my mom snapped a few pics...so glad I have them....

When we got there, we all enjoyed my mom's ravioli and homemade gravy (us Italians in the Boston area called red sauce "gravy").  Then the big dessert...we ordered the cake especially for the day...one of our favorites...Sugar and Spice Bakery in Salem has a specialty cake.  Layers of chocolate and vanilla cake with buttercream and raspberry preserves topped off with a chocolate ganache drizzle...insane doesn't even begin to describe it!

Although my brother is three years younger than me, his birthday is the day before mine, so we always celebrate together :)

 So stuffed....and so happy!

Monday

Lea and I decided on another beach day and this time with the entire fams...Ally even joined us and it ended up being the perfect day....it actually felt hot again...Praise the Lord!  The kids dug and played for hours...we worshipped the sun and reminisced about the perfect weekend.  We topped it all off with a quick trip to Markey's for steamers before heading home.  (We went to Markey's because Brown's had a fire and they are closed right now)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!