Moments

Camila's First Birthday Party

Alicent Manwaring

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Jan 20, 2025

Brad and I took a short trip to West Virginia to visit Breck & Iris and to celebrate our granddaughter Camila’s first birthday. The evening before we enjoyed eating out at their fav Mexican restaurant, watching Camila open her gifts from us (a sweater where I needle-pointed flowers in the shape of a C) and Aubrey & Raul (books from Chile that she absolutely loved!), and lounging on their comfy couch while viewing a show on their projector.

The day of the party Breck and Brad were busy picking up food, drinks, dinnerware, and the cake in Virginia, while I enjoyed catching up with Iris and playing with Camila & Mancha. Camila was feeling a little under-the-weather after her nap, which was probably due to three shots she got the day before.

For the big party, Breck & Iris reserved a college recreation center in Shepherdstown, WV, which was perfect for hosting about seventy family members (Iris has a large extended family) and friends. The venue had everything—dining space, pool tables, an arcade, and even bowling lanes. They rented it for four hours, but unfortunately, Brad and I had to leave an hour early to avoid the snowstorm that was heading for the entire Northeast, including Kentucky. We drove straight through, getting home around 3 a.m. Thankfully, we lucked out and only hit fog and sleet in the mountain passes. Sadly, Breck’s friend Wade and his wife weren’t as lucky. The next morning, they had to drive through heavy snow and icy roads.

The cake & Horchata