My Birthday!

My birthday this year was a blessed time. It was on Saturday, September 25. Al had asked me what I wanted to do, and I said that I either wanted us all to go out to Old Country Buffet, or the two of us to go out to Chili's, or to have Caroline, Janet, and Erin cook dinner at home for us. I left it to him to decide which of those options he would pick. Meanwhile, he asked me to write down a few things I would like, and Janet asked me what I wanted as well. One of the things I mentioned was a nice spring/fall jacket. When I shared this with Janet, she said "Oh, we're gonna have FUN with this!" So she went with Al to help him shop the night before.
While on my last break at work on Saturday, I got a text from Al saying that he and I would go out to eat, followed by birthday cake at home with the girls. I got home from work, showered and changed, and Al and I got in the car. I was expecting him to go to Chilis in Windsor, but he turned towards Enfield. I thought he might have decided to go to Olive Garden, but then he "missed" the turnoff to Enfield. Then I knew he was going to surprise me. We went to Carabba's in Riverdale, Mass! It's a really nice Italian restaurant, and it was delicious. We went home and had cake. When I opened my present, it was..... a peacoat and scarf! Gail and Missy couldn't come, so Gail and her boyfriend, John, came the next day. Gail brought a bouquet of one dozen pink roses, and a beautiful card. Well, I put the roses in water, set the card on the halfwall in the living room, and we ate dinner. Gail and John had already eaten, but Gail did have a piece of cake. While I was putting things away, I picked up the envelope Gail's card had come in. I saw something blue in it and thought it was a picture. When I pulled it out, it was a gift card to Red Lobster! Caroline gave me a charm for my bracelet that the girls had given me for Mother's Day. Missy invited me to her apartment on Tuesday night and made a birthday dinner of chili and cupcakes for me. I was so blessed by all of their thoughtfulness and the unexpected surprises! Now it's two weeks later and Al and I are planning to use that gift certificate as soon as he gets home!