Did I mention I loved birthdays...

This weekend we celebrated in style Holly's birthday (I will refrain from typing in her age)! Let me begin, in 1981....oops...mom and dad gave birth to their firstborn. She was so advanced even at a young age, she reminded me as she read to me aloud from her baby book that mom recorded lots of details (which mom told us over the weekend that when she grew up her mom handed her a blank baby book with a bag of pictures...I guess that's what happens to the last child!). Mom even recorded that she thought Holly's long, lean fingers looked like "piano fingers" Good thing for mom that this child succeeded at being a pianist. Anywho, that is all besides the point. Let's get to the good stuff...how we celebrated...

Sister and I went to Ocala for the weekend to spend quality birthday time with the fam. Marcus opted to stay in Tallahassee because on Saturday a. he did not want to go antiquing with the girls or b. help dad and Michael move furniture to Jacksonville. Marcus was smart and stayed home. As mentioned above Holly, mom, and I spent Saturday afternoon in one of our favorite quaint Florida towns, Mt. Dora. I love going to Mt. Dora; it's full of nostalgia. During our high school days, along with Heather, we would spend many a Saturdays be-bopping from one good antique store to the next with a must have meal at the Goblin's Market. However, even though Mt. Dora still has it's charm in the middle of lakes and orange groves, the stores were sparse. The glory days of Mt. Dora are sadly over in my eyes but alas the Goblin's Market still rules and boy did we do it up right there. We each had a delicious meal. I sipped on slightly sweet pomegranate iced tea with lime and a yummy grilled portobello wrap. Mom had a open-faced Tuscan burger (I even thought it sounded good minus the burger part!) and Holly had an overdose of crab. Crab cake salad and crab bisque--a GB must have!

Saturday night when the girls and boys were back together we had a delicious meal at Ocala's newest and finest steakhouse Mark's on the downtown square. Let me say this for the millionth time, I love to go to a good steakhouse. Not for the steak....duh...but because they always have the best seafood and chicken. So of course I had the Santa Fe Grouper.....yum, yum, yum :)

When we got home Holly opened gifts and we ate homemade lemon pound cake made by Kat all while watching the Olympics...go figure.

The rest of the weekend was full of other monumental events as well. On Friday night, we attended an 08.08.08 wedding of some dear church friends. The groom I have known since we were toddlers. Joey and Tamra looked so happy and in love. This is what I love about weddings.

I write about this next scenerio with mixed emotions. Dad and Michael moved a load of furniture to Michael's, my not so little brother, college apartment. There are so many things to point out here...I can't believe he's old enough to be going off to college. His moving experience is so different than his sister's. It wasn't until the night before that we got a confirmation that he would start moving on Saturday. But he came back...which only means he'll leave again. I know this is hard on mom and dad but they'll get through it. Heck, they don't see much of him now as it is. It's hard on me too. But rest assured he will adjust quite nicely to a new surrounding--make friends fast, live up the city life (and the beach!), and have fun! Now, if we can just be assured that he'll wake up and go to class ;) Good luck to our Michael as you become as Osprey. Swooop.

So as this post has turned totally away from birthdays, below is the celebration in pictures. I just want to sing another Happy Birthday at the top of my lungs (but in harmony of course) to my sister and my best friend. Love you sister.

lemon pound cake with oriental umbrellas in honor of the olympics in beijing

the kids: michael's gf alex, michael, mc, and the birthday girl