80 Years

After spending way too much time in a car trying to get to L.A. (or Murrieta), not to mention all the gas for the car, as well as all the money spent on nice dinners out, and then all the presents that you always had such a difficult time buying... we effectively decided that celebrating and spending money on each other's birthday was much more of a headache and too expensive than it was worth! It was a deal we had with the girls up in L.A., and even though it was sad that it meant we weren't going to see each other as often, it made economical sense and we were all in agreement. But that little deal of ours certainly didn't include special occasions!!!

When we realized that Nani was going to be turning 80-years-old this March, all deals were off and we threw all the economical sense straight out the window! Jei baked & decorated a beautiful cake, we made our way over to Long Beach on a Saturday afternoon, and met everybody for dinner on the Queen Mary.

With a gorgeous day, great weather, a beautiful view & skyline, and on top of all that - being on a really cool ship... Allen was super excited!

Of course there was no way I had the heart to tell him that the ship was actually permanently docked there and that a cruise into the open seas was completely out of the question!

The obligatory selfie...

what would our society be without it?!

"Look Allen... it's the moon!"

Two very happy, handsome and hungry boys! 

So while I was in charge of making sure Allen didn't go overboard... Jei was in charge of making sure Jack was a happy little camper!

And I think we both did an excellent job...

for we all stayed dry, and there was no sign of any crying.

The whole happy gang together again. Although I think we all would've been a lot happier if we were all celebrating on a REAL cruise ship!!!

Four beautiful sisters...

and one very proud mother.

It may have been the Birthday Girl's monumental day...

but it was Jack who seemed to get all the attention.

One last family photo with the Birthday Girl.

While everyone else was eager to head up to the restaurant and eat, Allen was the only one who wanted to stay on the deck and play. Needless to say, Allen's desire to play was overruled by everyone else's hunger... so he had to be carried in!

The celebration was finally moved into the restaurant...

where Nani's birthday cake was the centerpiece!

Nani insisted that if Jack was going to join us at the dinner table, he had to be dressed up  and looking his best like the rest of us!  

Passing the time between ordering and getting our food was easy and lots of fun... for there was a cute little chubby baby to pass around and cuddle with.

Dinner was fabulous... which, lucky for Nani, came with a complementary slice of chocolate cake... which was generously passed around and shared.

Nani may have gotten her very own slice of chocolate cake, on top of her two tiered custom birthday cake that Jei made her... but Allen made out in the dessert department just as well (thanks to Joanne!).

Those marshmallow treats sure were delicious!

And after finishing off his marshmallow treat-on-a-stick,

Allen apparently dug into some of Nani's chocolate cake too!

The pretty cake, the long drive, and the expensive elegant dinner... all of which were absolutely worth all the hard work, insane traffic, and the money, to be with Nani and the family to celebrate the 80th year of such a wonderful life to an amazing woman. And despite being on a permanently docked cruise ship, I don't think we could have had a better time. Thank you Nani for letting us help you celebrate such a magnificent occasion... and hope you enjoyed your big birthday as much as we did.  We love you!