Others who had been through year long deployments gave me two pieces of advise that rang loud and clear: 1. Make sure you celebrate your birthday the way you want to celebrate, because the one person who usually celebrates you the most will be gone 2. Don't celebrate the 1/2 way mark because you still have 1/2 way to go
Lucky for me, our 1/2 way mark would be Friday Dec 1 and my birthday Saturday Dec 2, so I knew I wanted to go big that weekend to celebrate me, but also to have some fun with the kids and celebrate them and their huge sacrifices over the last 6 months. So in July, I got to planning....
For my 40th birthday we went to NYC as a family. I really wanted to take the kids to see Finding Neverland on Broadway, but as it turns out, it went off Broadway in October and started touring around the states. So this summer I just happened to look to see where it was- and I missed it in DC by about a week. That got me looking to see where else it would be for the year, and it would be in Providence, RI on my birthday.... hhhhhhmmmmmm.
With 3 best friends all living in neighboring states, I called on them to be included in the fun and they said YES! So off we go...
The kids skipped school on Friday and we took an early morning flight up to Providence. Tate's buddy's dad drove us to the airport on his way to work, which made this trip even so much easier for me! All the little things like this are BIG things when you are traveling alone with kids. I consider them gifts...
I love these poinsettia trees at Regan National Airport each Christmas season-
We had some time to kill before our flight, so we grabbed breakfast in the lounge and played a couple hands of Le Poo together-
Not sure about this picture, guess they thought the water bottles were wild and crazy?
I've flown out of DC a lot and from all 3 area airports. However, I have never flown north. South and west yes, but not north because we usually drive- to Connecticut, to NYC, to Massachusetts, to Maine- all those trips we drove. Our airplane was small- one seat on the left, two on the right. I decided to sit alone in the one seater. And as we took off, I looked out the window and what did I see right below? The Pentagon! Sure, I've been there a ton of times- but I had never seen it from the air and boy is it a sight to see. I swear the pilot even leaned in a little for me to get a better, longer look. Thanks for that little gift Mr. Pilot.
Tate had been recently asking to try a Starbucks frappachino- not sure exactly why, as I never go to Starbucks. But I told him he could get one at the first Starbucks we saw on our trip- and sure enough, when we landed in Providence, there was one at the airport!
Vanilla Bean for the win! Not. They each got one, and after trying them and drinking about a quarter of it, they sat in the hotel fridge until I tossed them into the trash when we left on Sunday morning!
We grabbed our bags and called for the hotel shuttle- easy peasy. The kids wanted to hit the indoor pool, so off we went! Swimming in Rhode Island by 10am- I'd say it was a smooth trip for sure.
About 45 minutes later, my first birthday gift arrived- Sara!
Sara decided to come up for the day Friday, stay overnight and go to the play on Saturday- with just one kid! A special mom and me weekend for..... DREW!
Sara quickly made us some awesome Moscow Mules that we drank poolside while the kids swam-
And then we were off on our first adventure of the weekend. I love to eat well- good food, great ambiance, etc etc. But, while this was my birthday trip, this was also our 1/2 way deployment trip- so the kids won out on this meal. Dave and Busters it is! Although they dont look thrilled in this picture, they had a blast-
It was great that the kids could be off having fun together, while Sara and I sat, ate in peace, and just talked. Win win. Everyone left happy! And no need for me to ever go back...
Half the fun of it all was just riding the escalators to/from the place for Macy-
Were the fire throwers for my birthday?
Whats everyone looking at?
3,2,1- The beautiful tree of course!
We came back to the room and found this thoughtful (and hilarious) gift from my sister had been delivered-
It was seriously the best, since while traveling with kids, you never know when or where you will eat- so having some chocolate covered fruit around was handy!
That night the kids watched Home Alone all snuggled up together-
Until Macy decided she wanted in on the girl bed instead-
Saturday morning I woke up to find that Sara had been a sneaky decorating friend-
And I had some great gifts to open too-
Sara made sure the kids had enough tickets (with a few extra skeet ball games) for this unique birthday gift for me-
She even brought an assortment of gourmet cupcakes for us all!
Next up- Finding Neverland! But first, the girls had to get ready-
Boys are so easy.
We met up with Allyson, her daughter Molly and friend about an hour before the play started, which gave us just enough time to go over to a great German-style playground we had found the day before that my kids desperately wanted to go back to. Allyson had been in the car for almost 3 hours driving down from NH, so it was a great plan for her littles too! And it was so nice to just sit with Sara and Allyson on a park bench and chat together. Allyson and Sara had met briefly only once at my mom's funeral earlier in the year.
But now, it is time!
The theater was gorgeous- and not a bad seat in the place I'd dare to say-
The show blew my mind. I like the movie a lot. But there is nothing like seeing live theater- and experience that I was so happy to share with the kids this day. During the intermission I came out of the bathroom and Allyson was talking with an older gentleman. We never did get his name. But he had a gift. He was a gift. You could give him any subject, and there on the spot, he would create a rhyming poem that just left you speechless. For my poem, he referenced my birthday, my husband being deployed and my mom. WHAT A GIFT.
We came out of the play, and it was dark, but the theater lit up the sweet little streets, and our parking lot!
We sadly said good-bye to Sara and Drew, and head off with Allyson to meet up with Tracey, who was driving in from Massachusetts, for dinner. Now this was MY dinner. My kind of place, my kind of food. It was fantastic and left me fully satisfied in every possible way.
Sara had given the kids their Christmas presents early, as they were perfect for traveling. I allowed Tate to play on his new "Gameboy" the entire meal, and he was in heaven!
The girls had a blast just giggling together-
As did we three-
We all grew up in the same small town in Massachusetts. Allyson is a friend from kindergarten, and Tracey a friend from 6th grade. It was great to be with them both!
After our amazing dinner, we sadly said good-bye to Allyson and the girls. Tracey stayed overnight with us back at the hotel, and we stayed up drinking wine in bed and chatting well past midnight!
The next morning after breakfast, the kids wanted one final swim and then we were headed home. Tracey brought us to the airport (such a gift not having to rent a car for this trip!) and we were off...
What a weekend! Besides my 40th, this was the best ever birthday. New adventures, time with my kids, friends who sacrificed so much to show up and think of every little detail to make my weekend feel over the top special- what more could I have asked for? Okay, my husband.
But I came home to these flowers waiting inside for me, stealthy coordinated with a neighbor, from Brian-
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