A Very Merry Un/Birthday

I had a wonderful experience on my birthday Saturday. My mom treated me, Kevyn, Molly, my cousin Megan and Melinda to tea at the Phoenician! We got all dolled up and headed out to an elegant tea room overlooking the city. There are some parts of being a girl that I love, and this experience would definitely fall into that category. Only girls have the excuse to beautify and dress up and go spend a leisurely afternoon eating course after course while sipping tea and chatting. I love imagining the six of us as we'd be in a Jane Austen novel; poised in chairs presenting a ladylike facade, sipping tea, listening to beautiful piano music as we discuss the latest gossip. Only difference, I do have some account for my mom's nerves! (If you're lost in this last sentence, you should delve into one of the greatest classic novels "Pride and Prejudice" and get lost in words like "thither and felicitous".)

I digress...while we enjoyed the process of being ladylike and attempting to be couth, I think half the fun came in not quite fitting in. We would feel out of place if we did everything correctly. Who likes to be perfect anyway? So instead we giggled as Kevyn poured the tea before letting it steep. We chortled as my mom let the tea trickle out of the pot onto the white tablecloth. We tee-heed as Megan opened up her asparagus and prosciutto sandwich to pass the asparagus over to my mom and me. And of course we sniggered as I took a bite of cucumber sandwich and the cucumber hung out over my lip! It's more fun to be tacky at tea then it is to be proper! It allows for more laughter and to me there's nothing more feminine than giggling over delicious scones!

Mmmm scones...let me just add that the food was delicious! How tiny finger sandwiches and scones can fill you up is remarkable, but nevertheless we all walked away happily full! From the chicken salad to the egg salad, the sandwich course was packed full of flavor! The scone course brought in the luscious taste of Devonshire cream, strawberry preserves and lemon preserves atop a buttermilk and cranberry scone! Unbelievable! But of course, we have to finish up with dessert. Chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate brioche, chocolate turtle cheesecake, fruit tarts and miniature eclairs were decadent and hit the sweet spot! Any Myers girl would have appreciated hearing about this delicious spread!

So unlike the Mad Hatter, I had a very merry BIRTHDAY, but the wonderful part is that now I get to join him in celebrating my Unbirthday! Tomorrow Herb, Melinda, Mika and I leave for the Happiest Place on Earth, and the anticipation is indescribable! It's so exciting to spend three whole days in the park ready to take on new adventures, familiar rides and exciting shows! It is a comforting feeling to know the lay of the land, yet every time I meet the park with renewed energy and suspense! Each Disneyland experience offers a new joy, and I look forward to discovering what joys this trip will hold!

While we are in Disneyland Herb and I will celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary! It is so amazing that we've shared four years of marriage. I think it is an awesome gift that we can still laugh and play together and our Disneyland trips are a testimony of that! I love experiencing Disneyland with others because I think it creates a unique bond amongst people, yet there is nothing like going with Herb. I just love being silly and childlike with him! So as we head off to celebrate our very merry unbirthday, may you find a way to be childlike with someone around you! Laugh, be jolly and drink tea from your hat! The Mad Hatter would be proud!