28 is Great!

Last Thursday, I officially turned the big 2-8. I have always been a big fan of birthdays... mine in particular :) I can still remember the huge bashes my parents would host growing up. They definitely went all out and spoiled me (nice though, instead of rotten!). This year, I had multiple fun celebrations with friends and family.

On Thursday, the day of my actual birthday, I went to work. My fabulous coworkers threw me a little birthday bash during our common planning time. It was great to celebrate with some delicious treats & enjoy the company of my wonderful teammates without the pressure of having to discuss lesson plans or SOL's!

Birthday Festivities

One of my wonderful teammates, Rebecca

Rockin' my birthday hat from my fabulous co-teacher Cathy

Thursday after work, Andy and I went to a local sports bar for a few celebratory drinks with our good friends Kevin & Carissa. We tend to have Thursday night happy hours with them 2-3 times a month, so I was looking forward to seeing them to celebrate my birthday!

Birthday Happy Hour Group

Friday evening, we celebrated again with dinner at Uncle Julio's in Fairfax Corner. My mom and dad came out to join us for some delicious mexican food and margaritas. Afterwards, we went back to me and Andy's home for presents & cupcakes. My parents and Andy all spoiled me with so many wonderful gifts! I got some great new outfits, gift cards to spend, and a BEAUTIFUL new coach purse!

One of the things on my "30 before 30" list was to go wine tasting with my friends. My 28th was the perfect opportunity to do this! My best girl friends in the world came out early Saturday to head to Quattro Goomba winery in Aldie, VA. My wonderful husband volunteered to chauffeur us. The winery was great! The weather was perfect. We began with a traditional wine tasting and then ordered pizza. Goomba's recently put in several new pizza ovens and they are already getting rave reviews for their delicious homemade pizza! We enjoyed several cheese trays and sipped on frozen sangria. It was a perfect afternoon to catch up with my girls and celebrate 28!

Rachel, Lindsay, Molly, Lara and myself

BFF's since high school

My wonderful hubby & best friend Rachel

Molly's treat of Georgetown Cupcakes- my first time ever having them!

Yummmmmmmmmmmy!

On Sunday, we ended the birthday weekend by going to Nationals Park for the Nats-Orioles game. In my family, we have a bit of a baseball rivalry between these two teams. Growing up, my parents took me to Baltimore to cheer on the Orioles because Washington DC did not have a local team. A few years ago, the Nationals moved to the DC area. My parents (and most of the local fans) immediately became Nats fans and stopped supporting the Orioles. I am one of the few who stayed loyal and true to the orange and black :) So today, my parents cheer for the Nationals and I support the O's. We were again very lucky to have gorgeous weather and it was a great Sunday afternoon ballgame! Unfortunately for the birthday girl, I saw my O's lose  to the Nationals. (But we did win the first 2 games of the series so I guess it was only fair :)) We all had a great time at the game!

McDonald Family Rivalry

The Saulitis'

Mom & Dad- The Traitors :)

My birthdays never cease to remind me how lucky I am to have such great people and opportunities in my life. It always touches me that people go out of their way to make my day so special. I am truly feeling blessed to have such an amazing family, incredibly supportive friends, wonderful coworkers and love, health and happiness for all of us! Here's to hoping 28 is my best year yet! :)