Saturday, January 24, 2009

Surprise for Tori!

April, Amy, and Raygen came to my house and kidnapped me. They took me to Frank's Italian Restaurant in Tuscumbia. I was escorted to a table- and WOW! There sat friends waiting to surprise me for an early birthday party! I was speechless! Each friend went around the table and told how they knew me. Wendy met me at a childbirth workshop five years ago; we had a lot in common as we both had military backgrounds and a love for helping women birth. Jenny met me while she was in labor with her second child! I was her nurse at the local birth center. I went on to help her with the delivery of her third child. Chalyn chose me as her back-up doula two years ago. Recently, she gave me the privilege of being her midwife at the birth of her third child. Kelly emailed me while searching for a doula/midwife. She blessed me by allowing me to 'catch' her baby. Raygen met me at a birth. I was helping a sweet lady have a waterbirth, and Raygen was the doula. Raygen has since become an assistant midwife with my homebirth business. Summer met me through the local La Leche League Leader! Summer and I have hiked several times over this past year. April and I met five years ago. She was enrolled in a childbirth class that I was teaching. She has since had three waterbirths and allowed me to be her doula! Amy met me online two years ago. She has become my faithful birthing partner--yes I wake her up at all hours to say: "It's Time!"

These women have given me a gift of friendship that is purer than gold. They came together to celebrate my life, and I was utterly speechless. I am touched by their love. They have filled my life with joy.

The surprise is not over. After dinner, April, Raygen, Amy, and Wendy took me to Cold Water Inn to spend the night together. We had a slumber party and talked into the night!

I loved my birthday surprise. And YES, Jeff knew all about it, and kept it a secret for over a month!

4 comments:

  1. Tori, it sounds fabulous! I'm glad you were blessed to have friends around you! Happy Early Birthday!!

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  2. It was so much fun to spend time with you! Happy Birthday! I wish we could spend more time together (talking birth and babies)... it's like we live on the other side of the world instead of the other side of the state.

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  3. I MISS YOU!
    Sounds like a great event!

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