A Birthday Gala Extravaganza

My family loves birthdays. If we all lived closer, every one's birthday would be a big deal. But we still try to make everyone feel important on their special day. Whitney definitely felt special on her day. It wasn't just a one day celebration --- but an entire weekend! With the entire family. Since May 27 was Whitney's last birthday as a "single woman," my aunt Trina and uncle Ock planned a birthday celebration at their blue beach house.

(I love this house, by the way. It's a fairly new investment for Trina and Ock, and I already see many years of memories happening here.) This is what we saw when we walked in ...

Oh yeah. Not just "birthday weekend," but "gala extravaganza." Oh, Lord. Whitney will never be the same. I think she's expecting this every year now. And we saw this ...

In just two weeks, Will joins our family. So this was his weekend to be celebrated too --- or a weekend to really think about the decision he is about to make. Smile. Nothin' like a family weekend to break a guy in!

Ock wanted to do something fun for dinner one night so he put together this shrimp boil. Yum. Yum. Yum.

The family loved it, and didn't wait a minute to dig in!

And then we had chocolate cake. Two kinds of chocolate cake, actually.

And would it be a birthday gala extravaganza without a group family shot? I think not!

The perfect shot with the blue house behind us. (The entire family cooperated for this picture. Amazing!) Here are a few more from the weekend.

The beautiful couple we celebrated this weekend. They are simply gorgeous, and so much fun!

The best part of this weekend was having everyone there. It's just not the same when someone is missing. I'm ready for the next family celebration at the blue house. Hmmm...Could it be sometime in late June for John's birthday?

Family. The people who make a birthday gala extravaganza weekend so fun. Happy Birthday, Whitney! Welcome to the family, Will!