As my daughter said to me "ha. you're 36 now"... step by step guide to birthday-ness...

1. make a few calls. send a few emails. get the birthday ball rolling.

2. get waxed. get a haircut. get a babysitter. get your bags packed.

3. book an awesome hotel (good girl Pip)

4. obligatory 'me n my sister in cafe' shot (i could fill a book with our cafe shots)

5. what you see here is a 'baby YO' hand pose. It's a long story...

anyway, chillax in a most bodacious city.

6. gather friends around you. (i am skipping the photos that say: 7. drink wine. 8. drink cocktails. 9. EAT so much good food. 9. talk so much that you looooose your voice - yes, really. 10. run around a hotel lobby in various states of shoe and non shoes)

11. gifts!

12. more gifts?

13. family (now my birthday & life is complete)

14. you don't think i'd fail to list cake, did you?...

CAKE! and plenty of it.

15. another gift... ummmm, 'coz i'm worth it'?

16. he deserves an embarrasing shot of himself on the cyberlink because he is a bad boy.

(brotherfish in old plastic highlights cap that the kids had out as part of their superhero costumes)

17. did i say 'the kids' superhero costumes'?...

make that, the kids and grandma.

18. be home. recover. catch up on work. recover.

shake a little bit during the alcohol withdrawal period.

recover.

happy birthday me.