Birthday Weekending with the Fam

Happy Monday, friends. Before I recap my weekend for you, I had to take a moment and thank each and every one of you for all of the heart felt messages of condolence--either through the comments here, private emails, texts...they all meant so much to me. You guys really showed me the love, and each of your messages helped, so thank you.

The past week has been pretty overwhelming--we've gotten so much support from family and friends, and even some people I've fallen out of touch with have reached out. It makes you realize how people can really show up for you when it's needed.

This weekend was also my birthday, and I was actually able to celebrate this weekend, despite all of the other emotions I was dealing with.

My weekend highlights included:

~Having my MIL, SIL and youngest niece come down from Philly on Friday afternoon.

~Got to get outside and enjoy the 4th day of the week that was warm and beautiful
~Getting 7 bouquets of flowers either for my birthday or as condolence from friends. They've all been beautiful and helped to brighten up our home--and they smell wonderful!
~Got spoiled for my birthday by MG and his sister. All of these gems are now mine:


totally in love with my new Kate Spade watch courtesy of MG #love
~Birthday dinner at Chef Geoff's with MG, my mom, MIL, SIL and niece. The food was incredible--I ordered the scallops and mushroom risotto and ate every single bite of it. It didn't disappoint!
~Back to the house for some chocolate mousse birthday cake and birthday photos
~Saturday morning we made breakfast together and then went to National Harbor to walk around and grab lunch before MG's family headed back home

I'm so thankful that they came down--it was such a nice distraction and really helped make my birthday feel special and not so gloomy.
I'm so blessed. I really really am.

~Gave myself a manicure with Essie's In Stitches
~Went out to dinner with our friends and tried out a new restaurant, Grand Cru--a wine bar/bistro where we did a wine tasting along with our meals (which were also super delicious). It was so nice to spend time with our friends and catch up.
~Ran errands Sunday, took a bunch of things to donate, and brought Coop to the dog park--watching him run around without a care in the world made me smile :)
~Helped my mom make some final preparations for my dad's memorial service

~Had Chipotle for dinner for the first time since their whole food crisis happened. We survived!

~Watched a few episodes of House of Cards before calling it a night

This year's birthday obviously wasn't what I expected it to be a couple of months ago, but thanks to my incredible family and friends, it was still special. I know my dad would have wanted me to celebrate, and do things in order to be happy. And with some help, I was able to do that. 
Just because there are pictures with smiles doesn't mean there weren't really hard parts of the weekend with tears. But, I'm not dwelling on those. I'm embracing the sadness, but I'm also choosing to look for the happy.

I hope your weekend was special, too :)

50 comments:

  1. So glad you had a great birthday weekend, and I'm sure your dad was watching you celebrate the whole time! You are very blessed to have such a great network of family and friends!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  2. Oh I am so glad you found those smiles amid the tears. Beautiful moments for a beautiful girl!! Prayers for your week ahead and a big ole hug!!

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  3. I am so glad that you were still able to celebrate your birthday this weekend. Family and friends are definitely good for the soul!

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  4. I'm so happy that you had a wonderful birthday weekend - you deserved every single gift you got and birthday wish!! That risotto looked amazing and I would have totally eaten it all too! Hope you have a great Monday! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  5. So happy that you got to celebrate your birthday with your family, especially during this hard time. Continued thoughts and prayers. Scallops and risotto is my favorite dish, I would've eaten it all t

    Xoxo,

    Whitney & Blaire

    Peaches In A Pod

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  6. Glad you were still able to have a wonderful birthday weekend! Your dinner looks amazing, and love all your presents! So nice that you are really close with your inlaws.

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  7. I'm glad you were still able to have a day that was filled with family and sweet surprises. Happy Birthday!

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  8. I'm so happy that you were able to celebrate despite this year being difficult. You look like you got spoiled with gifts and flowers girl and you deserve it!

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  9. What a great weekend.. loving all your birthday gifts! I'm glad your family made your weekend extra special even with everything you guys have been going through! xox

    Christina :: Simple and Delish

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  10. Looks like a wonderful weekend despite what you are going through. It is obvious that you are very, very loved and lucky!

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  11. I'm so glad you had a good birthday weekend, despite the circumstances! All of those presents look fabulous and so does that risotto! Hope you're enjoying "House of Cards"; we just finished and I'm completely aching for the next season already!

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  12. I am so glad you had a great birthday weekend pretty friend! You deserved it! Loving your new sandals and I have that KS watch, it is the cutest! And that nail polish is so pretty! Happy Monday! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  13. looks like you had all the love around you for your birthday! in the form of amazing friends and family and fantastic presents! love that watch :) your snap of the donation bags totally inspired me and i cleaned a bit out of my closet yesterday too :) just the beginning. feels so good to get rid of stuff :)

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  14. So glad to hear you still had a special Birthday and that so many people loved on you so well during this difficult time - you're in my thoughts & prayers!

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  15. What a great birthday weekend and wonderful gifts from your family :)

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  16. So many wonderful birthday goodies! Glad you had a nice weekend!

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  17. So glad you had so many loved ones to lift your spirits, if only for a few hours!

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  18. So happy to hear that you had a nice birthday weekend during this difficult time. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

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  19. i'm so glad you were able to have a good birthday despite the sadness and heartache from the week. I love that Kate Spade watch! It is super cute and perfect for Spring! :) Have a great Monday! Last one before your Spring Break! yay! :)

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  20. I am so so happy that you were able to celebrate your birthday, you totally deserve it! You look so gorgeous and family really is everything! Xoxo

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  21. Seeing you with your family made me smile and brought me joy. Love you to the moon and although I hate the phrase its so true, but this too shall pass. Here's to a great year and a new chapter in your story.

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  22. So glad to hear you were able to have fun on your birthday! I know it's really hard to look for happy moments after losing someone you love, but honestly it helps you get up the next day.

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  23. Chipotle, mani, family, food.. So glad you were able to enjoy a little bit.. You're still in my thoughts.. Happy Monday! Xo

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  24. I'm glad you had such a wonderful weekend! It sounds like you have such a great support system. It looks like you were also spoiled accordingly ;-) <3 <3 <3

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  25. God Bless you
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  26. I'm glad that you still had a good celebration & was surrounded by lots of love from friends & family

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  27. So glad you were able to have a fun birthday weekend surrounded by lots of love! And look at all those amazing presents, you already know I love that KS watch! Sending more *hugs* as you go into the new week <3
    Green Fashionista

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  28. So glad you had a nice birthday and got spoiled with some beautiful things, and lots of love. You deserve it!!! xoxo

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  29. I'm so glad you had a great birthday weekend and was surrounded by so much love!! I am obsessed with your new Kate Spade watch :)

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  30. I'm glad that you still managed to have a good birthday weekend - family is the best cure for anything, and I'm happy to see you smiling in these photos despite the pain that I'm sure you're experiencing. Happy Monday, my friend!

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  31. I'm glad you were able to celebrate with family!

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  32. You got some great gifts! I am glad you got some good family and friend time and got to do some celebration despite the sorrow. Choosing the positive side is always hard, but it is the best coping mechanism. Stay strong and cry when you need to!

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  33. This post makes me smile, I am so glad to see that you were able to enjoy the rest of the week/birthday celebrations! Grand Cru sounds amazing! Still sending prayers and happy vibes your way! Xo

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  34. I am so glad you were able to have your family and friends surrounding you this weekend as you celebrated your birthday! Have a wonderful week! Xo, Stephanie

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  35. Glad you were able to spend your birthday with family AND friends, and ended up with some time for yourself. I hope you have an awesome week!

    ~Ashley @ A Cute Angle
    acutelifestyle.blogspot.com

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  36. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy yourself this weekend, Jenn. You deserved it, and I'm sure that your dad was right there with you the entire time. You are still in my daily prayers. I hope you enjoy your week!

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  37. What a sweet post and so happy your family got together to celebrate your birthday and help you smile. Looks like a wonderful weekend full of birthday fun. You made out good with the gifts from MG and family.

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  38. So very glad you had a nice birthday surrounded by loved ones! You deserve it, girl! xx

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  39. Still thinking about you, but I'm so glad that you were able to still enjoy your birthday with friends and family! It sounds like you got a lot of great goodies for your birthday, including that gorgeous Kate Spade watch!

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  40. I am glad you were still able to enjoy your birthday! Those flowers are gorgeous and I love your watch!
    www.amemoryofus.com

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  41. How lucky to have so much family around you! That new watch is so so pretty, and chocolate mousse cake sounds wonderful :) Definitely still praying for your whole family!!

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  42. That watch is lovely! Looks like you had a great birthday!!!

    www.shesleaninginblog.com

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  43. Jenn, I'm so sorry for your loss. What an amazing father you had and am so very glad you got to be there at the end. Sending love and prayers for you and your family!

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  44. i'm so sorry again for your loss Jenn, but I am glad you were surrounded by loved ones this weekend and were able to celebrate but still embracing the sadness. the watch is super pretty and the risotto looks amazing.

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  45. Is it bad I'm most mesmerized by those jelly beans in your picture of your gifts?? haha :) So glad you enjoyed your birthday weekend & were surrounded by so much love from your family and friends.

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  46. I'm so glad that you were able to celebrate and spend time with your family this weekend. Being with family and friends is the best!

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  47. So glad you were able to have a nice birthday weekend! There is nothing better than family time and your bday dinner looks incredible. And I laughed about the Chipotle because Nick had it for the first time in forever this weekend and I was so nervous for him!! He survived, too ;)

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  48. I'm so glad you were able to have a nice weekend and smile despite everything. I hope you're staying strong and I'm so happy that you have such a wonderfully supportive family that can be there for you during tough times <3

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  49. Looks like you had a pretty good weekend despite everything from last week! Glad you got spoiled on your birthday and had a lot of friend and family time this weekend. Always nice to share those memories with your loved ones.

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  50. So very glad you were able to have a special birthday! You deserve it and it looked like such a wonderful weekend to celebrate you! xo, Champagne&Suburbs

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