"BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!"

Another crazy week in the books. Summer is flying and it's almost July. Wow. I had a week off from art lessons so Mia and I spent some time doing fun things before my normal shifts. Mia's BFF Cecilia returned from her trip with her family to Italy as well as other countries so Mia was stoked to see her. Sadly, the weather was a bit too hot for the park. Bummer. The kids however hung out at Cecilia's, played, drew some pictures, and went the sun went down, played some soccer in her yard. Cecilia is totally motivated this season to score a goal. She was a fearless defender and I think she'll transition nicely into an attacking forward. Later we picked up Jill from work and had dinner. Friday was a rainy morning, but Mia and I made the best of it. We watched Into the Spiderverse which was surprisingly, a really good movie. Mia was actually super into it. She doesn't get excited about super hero movies (and neither do I) but man was it good. Later, we met up with old friends Hannah and Gracie for a long overdo reunion. These two sisters were Mia's FIRST best friends when she was only 2 1/2 years old. They hung out every Friday at play group at the library where they first met and over time, hung out at parks, pools etc etc. Over time, they didn't get to hang as much do to school and other activities but in the Summer, they try to hang out when possible. Mia had a great time for a couple hours, but it was time to go order some food and prepare for Jill's birthday dinner.

It's been quite a while, but we decided on Ono Kine Grindz for dinner. Mia and I picked up 8 individual orders from our favorite little Hawaiian cafe/store in Tosa. The only place in town you can get POG juice as well as some super tasty Hawaiian delicacies. After dinner, we had the cake Mia made on Thursday. Yum. Jill loved all the gifts she got from my family and hers.

Saturday, we got up early and drove down for Jill's very special surprise birthday party. We met her friend Leanne at a Jewel so she could take Jill out to keep her busy while Mia and I met up with friend Jacqui to set up for the party. One by one, more of her friends came in as well as spouses and family. Finally, it was time for Leanne to bring the birthday girl. We were so excited and when Jill came in, we all yelled "ALOHA!!!" Jill was shocked. A beautiful Hawaiian birthday party for my amazing wife. All she asked for this year for her birthday was to see her friends. I had told her at that moment "Okay" and began preparing for this. I literally made her birthday wish come true. I couldn't believe Mia kept the secret. So awesome. We had Puka Dogs (or at least the closest thing to them) complete with sauces made by Leanne. They were fantastic. Also some fruit bowls and an amazing cake made by Jacqui and some shave ice. Yum! It was a great Hawaiian-themed party. I couldn't believe we pulled this off. About 10:30, we called it a night and drove home. While Mia slept on the long ride back, Jill stared at her photos of herself with friends with the happiest tears I've seen in a while. I'm so glad I could give her this gift. Once again, thank you ladies for making this possible. Thank you to their spouses for coming as well.

Sunday, Mia and Jill tried out her new baking toys and after I came home from a really lousy shift, I saw their awesome Pride brownies and large cookie. Jill said Mia had a blast with her new air brush.

This week, I've got a lot of art lessons and apparently, we're having a 4th of July party on Thursday. Crazy. That's all for now, thanks for reading!