It seems like the older our girls get their birthdays get elongated in time and space. This year Irini, perhaps for the first time, had a birthday that fell during a school day. This led to what is steadily becoming a typical approach in our family: One part nuclear family celebrations and one part larger celebrations! And, of course, as the girls get older we focus more on birthday 'experiences' rather than the stuff that seemed to be the more popular favorite when they were young.
This year we had the pleasure of having uncle 'Eko, Olga and Alice around and we were delighted to add them to our celebrations! Add to that our friends down from Vienna and, of course, our local friends too and you have a hodge-podge of celebratory community members from all over the globe! For Irini the birthday meant a chance to go to a fancy hotel outside Dubai called Bab al Shams. It's a place we'd wanted to visit for quite a while, nestled in the desert beyond the southern end of the city. The hotel's infinity pool looks out over the desert in a way that one would expect to have a beach present in a strange and fascinating twist. And the evening was one of poolside celebrations.
Perhaps more than anything we - mommy and daddy in this case - cannot be happier with the friends that our children have chosen. Their kindness and support, their interest in similar things, their appreciating each other are all welcome parts to the growth of our own children. So though the hotel was lovely, the food was great and the experience celebratory, perhaps the real celebration was in knowing that such good friends, and the added bonus of family (especially in a pandemic) is what the real gift is. We are so fortunate. So filled with appreciation and love. Happy birthday glykoula!
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