since i didn’t get a chance to blog about meson’s 30th i’m going to do a joint one here instead….
.:dec.29th:.
our celebration for mes actually started a few days before at fogo de chao. we went there for dinner saturday after christmas and were joined by some of his friends who were home, plus my sibs and his sister’s fam. it was a surprise dinner- him thinking that we were going there for a dinner date, party of 2. so of course he was surprised to see the people who came to join the festivities.mes rarely gets to see his friends now that he’s been down in cherry hill since we started dating so i was happy to see him hanging out and catching up with them. we had lots of great eats and awesome company that night.
“the day”: we ended up going to CPK- a new restaurant built by the cherry hill mall. mes had been wanting to try it for a while having been to one of their chain restaurants before. that night we went with his sister-in-law and fam. food was good, though not as great as fdc. but it was a good experience for the 3 of us. it was nice to have the sis-in-law guide us through the menu since they’ve frequented CPK in cali. isaiah of course was mesmerized by the lights and ambiance. couldn’t believe there were so many babies that night- and on a weeknight too!
new years day was still an extension of mes’ bday celebration. my parents decided to treat him and the fam out to some vietnamese food for his birthday since they couldn’t come out for his actual birthday. we got to try this new restaurant near us. food was excellent- as good as the vietnam restaurant in philly minus the parking headache or the toll for the bridge. it was another place added to our restaurant list.
.:feb 3rd:.
the week before was the 2nd and last week of restaurant week, so my wonderful friend melissa scored a reservation at le bec fin that thursday before my birthday. we had always talked about going there but didn’t get a chance to. i always love going to restaurant week with her which we’ve been doing since graduation. although it hasn’t been consistent every single restaurant week, its always a fun time with her and her hubbz whenever we go. i wasn’t as impressed with le bec fin though, having been demoted to a 4star rather than 5 star restaurant as it had been before. i mean, the price was great but the food was just ok. it was packed that night and we ended up sitting downstairs by the bar (which we were a little annoyed about but oh well) – the busyness of course gave the illusion of great expectations. but once we were finished, it fell short of the expected standards. it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either so i give it a 2 out of 4 stars.
the night before, i enjoyed dinner with my family at penang’s. i had been craving their noodles, their dipping bread, and of course their dessert! i’m especially glad that there’s now one near us (and they take cards! the other place in philly only take cash). isaiah was mesmerized by their water fountain inside the restaurant. he kept wanting to dive into it. haha.
“the day”: i ended up requesting a half day for my birthday since it would make me get up earlier and force me to get more things done that day. i actually got dressed up for work which i haven’t done in a while, but it wasn’t anything too extensive- afterall, i was going to work. but it’s a different change since i’ve been wearing scrubs for over a year now.
i felt special that day, everyone kept complimenting me (“you look different” or “i didn’t even recognize you”) and for those that knew, they kept greeting me. it was kind of funny because i don’t remember actually telling a lot of people about my birthday, but i guess people found out through grapevine. and of course, everyone asked what i was doing? so, my response was always, “the husband and baby are taking me out to fogo de chao“. i was so excited, not because i’ve been craving meats but also because it was going to be isaiah’s first fine dining experience. our baby was dressed so cute- all compliments to his daddy =).
anywho, i had one goal in mind which was to eat 10 of their 12 meats that day since i only got to 6 last time. the entire meal was very satisfying – as good as i remembered it during hubbz 30th there. to top it off, isaiah enjoyed himself. he probably ate 4 different meats, some bananas and their garlic mashed potatoes. (he had been eating that for a while now, isaiah had been maximizing the 2 teeth he had since 6.5months old). he, however, would randomly scream in a high pitch note during the lunch. i finally figured out that it was because he got excited every time the servers paraded around with the meats on a stick. i guess it was a mistake to sit him in plain view of them coming out of the kitchen. haha.
the rest of the day, we trekked our way to k.o.p. made some purchases and had a little massage before making our way back home to choir practice and to a special despedida/prayer meeting program following after. i even got included in the program. haha. i think the sweetest shout out came from one of the deacons who said, “we are inspired by the family of alfon and susan and kids.” he continued, “many times you see kids from church grow up and marry someone who pulls them away from the church. but with sarena, she chose someone who is not just a blessing to her but to the family and to the church.” my heart swelled with thanksgiving.
as you can tell, our 30ths were busy with so many celebrations. i’m so thankful for all of God’s provisions through out this year and His blessings and mercy through out the last decade. i know for me, when i entered my 20s it was with a broken heart for one reason or another. and it didn’t just stop there. people over the years have tried to break it in different ways- hurt me emotionally, physically, spiritually- different people, different situations. but through out each season of my life, I clung on to my God’s promise: “For I have plans for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”- Jeremiah 29:11. This had been my verse which echoed loudly during my 20s and definitely a promise which I have seen come into fruitition over the last few. I am neither perfect nor do I claim to be one. I have my own flaws and shortcomings but instead of leaving me to my own demise, God saw something better. When people said, “you could never be ____” or “you are a bad ____”, God showed me that in Him, I am better than those hurtful words/actions. Without Him, my accomplishments are nothing and hurtful situations would have been impossible to conquer. I know He’s not finished with me yet and that there’s still a LOT of room to grow, but I am eternally grateful for all that He has blessed me with – a wonderful family, good friends, awesome church, a great job, and the list goes on.
i’m excited to see what He has in store for me and my family this next decade because i know and truly believe that He is good- all the time.
