30! This post is not about coffee

As a classic introvert I wasn't really planning to celebrate my birthday with PEOPLE *gasp* but in the end I asked my husband to organise something that involved "coffee, sunshine and flowers". I'm so glad he did! It was awesome. April is generally rainy here so I was lucky that the sunshine cooperated, and so many lovely friends did too. The hubs booked a big table at the botanical gardens cafe, surrounded by rose gardens.

[One overtired toddler coming right up]

[ I cropped out the people who were eating... thank me later guys. But blinking and baby-wrangling didn't make the cut. My bad]

Cutie patooties, right before they all tried to dive into the pond and/or capture ducks and/or get stuck in a maze of thory rose bushes. Not looked at anyone in particular. Ella.

That arvo I got this epic cake at my in-laws, decorated by my nieces and nephew - how awesomely lolly-licious is that?

Then Ella got to stay with her grandparents and cuzzies while Calum and I watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and went to a Chinese restaurant that was an old haunt of ours in our first year or 2 of marriage. It's not fancy at all - but the food is so good!

Next morning:

[Just how I like it]

... I got a big bag of People's Coffee (made in Wellington, coffee snobs unite), these coffee KeepCups, and coffee in bed. And flowers. And a card! And a top. Did I say coffee?

And a cute toddler.
Oh wait, she was already mine. #luckiest

[Forever swiping hair out of her eyes]

Ella had been hollering "Happy daaaaay!" for the past 2 days which is her version of Happy birthday but more appropriate. When I opened the parcel with the brown bag of espresso coffee in it above, she clapped excitedly and cried "oo yay! Coffee!".
How does my not-even-2-year-old know that a nondescript sack wrapped in gold paper is coffee????? I've created a monster.
Jk.
Coffee monster = barista and I could do with a barista around here.

Did I say coffee?

Last year I got a coffee machine.

I'm getting off track...

And then!
(this is starting to read like a 6 year old's story-writing book...)
...we went to church where I was sung happy birthday to. A new experience for me but so nice. I didn't get coffee there, but I was eying it up.

And THEN
(does this remind you of that bad movie from the early 2000s? I can't remember what it was called but all the cool kids were seeing it and forcing themselves to laugh at the cringey humour. It was really bad. Like I actually felt baffled when I looked around and saw my friends were still laughing. And then no doubt I fake laughed too.)

And then we went to my parents house for lunch which featured flowers and some of my fave food, and some kids' party food my mum surprised me with. (Fairy bread, cheerios and jelly-oranges for life.)

And coffee. I may have had a decaf at that point but no judging.

... and lastly, I got to sit in the couch as per tradition and awkwardly wait for my family to come marching in, in a line, singing happy birthday and bearing gifts. I spent most of my life thinking that every family does this. Apparently not?

Weirdos.