Go Shorty, It's Your Birthday!

Yup, today is my birthday and I am feeling like I am just about the luckiest girl in the world!

I am fortunate for so many reasons, but mostly because today serves as a reminder that I am also loved. I am loved, not only by my wonderful family, but by someone who hardly knows me, which serves as a reminder that there really are good people in the world who care about the happiness of other people. But let me back up and tell you the story so you can feel the love too.

Remember I told you about my FABULOUS honeymoon at the Las Ventanas resort in Cabo San Lucas Mexico? And remember that I told you about the beautiful Mexican dishes we bought while on our honeymoon? Those same dishes that arrived here in the United States in a million pieces? Which also left my heart broken into a million pieces? Well, this birthday story has a happy ending because of some VERY special people.

While we were in Mexico at the stunning Las Ventanas Resort, we were fortunate enough to have our own butler. Her name is Isabel, and she was there to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Every morning her smiling and beautiful face would appear with our morning coffee which she would serve to us on our back terrace, overlooking the magnificent, crashing ocean. Isabel was always a just phone call away, eager to cater to our every whim. She would appear at different times during our trip; to escort us to our various booked activities, to answer any questions we had or to make sure we were enjoying our stay. We got a chance to talk to her and we found out that she is the mother of two wonderful children. She told us that she has been able to enjoy the perks of working for a hotel/resort group by traveling with her family to New York and staying at one of her employer's fabulous properties. Isabel certainly helped to make our experience at Las Ventanas a memorable one.

When we got home, and our dishes arrived shattered into a million pieces, My Guy got on the phone and contacted Isabel immediately. He asked her if she remembered him and if there was anything that we could do, to which HE TOLD ME, that she had answered there was nothing they could do because we bought the dishes at a warehouse in Mexico. There was no history of what we purchased. It's not like there was a "gift registry" or even a cash register to track purchases. No one spoke English and it was cash only. Deep in Mexico, remember? So I gave up all hope and made My Guy promise he would take me back there soon, if only for a long weekend to replace the dishes.

Well color me surprised, because this morning, wrapped up in beautiful packages with bows, are the gorgeous, stunning, dishes from Mexico you see on my kitchen counter in the picture above! Nothing could have made me happier, and it's possibly the best story behind a gift EVER. Isabel searched, on her days off, for dishes for a woman she hardly knew. She wanted to make sure the set was matching and she even fronted her own money on the hope that this American guy she was helping was an honest man. I cannot express my gratitude to Isabel for her diligence and kindness, except to say that, indeed, I cried when I realized that the birthday package I opened this morning contained my dishes. People show love in different ways, and My Guy and Isabel today showed me that anything is possible where there is love.

So for you Isabel, to express my love and gratitude for your gesture, I will post this HORRID picture of me, taken this morning at 6:30 am EST when I opened my gift. I think it truly captures the essence of the moment, beautifully.

Oh, and Honey? (My Guy) Does this mean we can't go back to Las Ventanas again soon???