So I just turned another year older five days ago, which officially marked the end of my fleeting twenties.  Argh.. I feel old!  Nonetheless, I am still very grateful for every year that's added to my age because it only means I am given more time by the Heavenly Father to celebrate LIFE!

Speaking of celebration, I chose to celebrate my birthday the simple way -- no party, gifts, cakes, or fancy lunch/dinner at a lavish restaurant -- just family and friends feasting over some grilled meat at a public park.  I opted not to have a festive celebration because I wanted to be kuripot  practical with our finances.  (We are preparing for a big trip by the second quarter so I guess I'm just being reasonable.)  However, I think my husband felt a bit guilty uneasy of my decision not to spend much on this occasion (I also insisted him not to buy me a gift anymore), so what he did was to wake up early last Friday and prepared me this special surprise birthday breakfast.  Sweet isn't it?

I generally do not consider myself a morning person, but a breakfast person.  Breakfast is my most favorite meal of the day -- although I love lunch, merienda, and dinner too!  (Yes! I eat A LOT!  And "diet" is not a part of my vocabulary.)  So just imagine my surprise waking up to this hearty breakfast meal, which includes all my favorite food -- veggie omelet, toast, and hot chocolate -- prepared by none other than the love of my life, Ronnie! I was like smiling from ear to ear and felt flattered, special, and LOVED!  

Aside from the scrumptious breakfast, my husband also took full responsibility of taking care of Rafa so I could relax and enjoy my special day, which was exactly what I (and every mom) NEED(s)!  It was priceless!  And it simply proved that people don't have to spend much in order to make someone happy, because really, the best things in life are free!  Indeed, there's a truth in the saying:  "Money can't buy you happiness."

Alright, enough of building-up my husband too much.. lol!  Let me just share with you a few photos from our picnic last weekend.

My actual birthday happened to fall on a Friday.  However, since public parks are notoriously known to be jam packed during Fridays, we decided to schedule our picnic the following day -- when parks are less populated.

We're not really sure whether cooking pork is allowed in public parks because online forums say it's totally fine. It's only as of this writing that I came across this website which states that "cooking of pork items is not permitted" in the public parks of Abu Dhabi.  

Anyway, everyone seemed to have enjoyed our picnic -- especially me, who's guilty of eating too much!  It was a great night indeed!  Thank you so much to everyone who celebrated with me!  And to those who sent their greetings and well wishes, you are very much appreciated!