My parents both turned sixty last winter just weeks before I had Charlie, and my siblings and I decided we would take a rain check and celebrate at the beach when we would all be together (three of the four of us living out of town). So we exchanged numerous emails, shared ideas, and tried our best to put together a special dinner for my parents.  So that's what we did. We told my parents to get lost for a few hours and threw tablecloths over those rickety beach tables. In a way, this party was very symbolic of my point of view with this blog….to work with what you have and create something special out of something ordinary. We had ugly beach chairs to work with, battled the wind, and used blenders as water pitchers….but seeing my parents beaming faces when they came to the table and watching my mom sneak those cards (that we wrote favorite memories on) into her pocket, I was reminded how important it is to take the time to celebrate the ones you love . Happy birthday dad and mom, six months late:).