June 2010 - A Month To Remember

June was a major milestone for us this year. Neal turned 60 on June 29. Then, on June 30, he officially retired from work! To celebrate, Matt and Amy hosted a very nice party at their home in Newton. We celebrated Bernice's birthday at the party too which made it even more of a special event. When we arrived at the Mugherini's, the dining room table was all set up - it looked so nice. Amy has such a flair!

For the celebration, they ordered two birthday cakes. When we arrived, one of the cakes was set out on their serving cart. It looked fabulous!

It was so nice that so many people were able to join in the celebration! April arrived -  in style as always!

Debbie, Dorothy, Jay, Drew and April (back to the camera) were there and enjoyed the appetizers that Matt and Amy set out.

Debbie and Chris were there, too!

Meanwhile, Liv was sneaking up the stairs to find Zoey who was hiding under the bed.

Rob, April, Bernice and Drew enjoyed the party.

Andrea, Neal and Debbie looked on as Liv opened a package from the Disney store that Nonno and Nana brought.

 When it was time for dinner, Matt & Amy served a wonderful BBQ - several different kinds of ribs, chicken, pork, rice, beans, corn bread....it went on and on. It was a great treat. Neal loves a BBQ and everyone enjoyed it!

After everyone had eaten, Matt, Amy and April cleaned up the dining room.

After the clean up was complete, we were treated to a great video that Andrea made with pictures of Neal. She spent the last 6 months or so scanning hundreds of old photos then putting them together into a video with music. It was very special. (I don't know how to link it to this blog or I would.) It was a very touching, emotional video and Neal really enjoyed it. After the video, it was time for cake! Amy and  Matt really out did themselves on the cakes! Matt brought out the chocolate birthday cake with candles for Neal to blow out - with a little help from Livviebell.

Neal opened his birthday gifts while Debbie watched.

And of course Livviebell is always willing to lend a hand when it comes to opening presents. She's a pro! So she offered her services and helped her Nonno open his presents.

Grea Aunt Debbie brought a present for Neal - and one for Liv. Of course Liv didn't need any help opening her gift - though her Mommy was on hand, just in case. Great Aunt Debbie brought her a beautiful pink princess wand.

Matt and Amy have worked really hard on their home and they've done a really nice job. They've set-up the room off the living room as a small, private dining room with seating for four. It looks very nice!

They set up the room in the back corner of the house as a first floor office. It has a desk, which you can't see in this picture, a nice comfy couch, and flat screen TV. Liv found this just perfect because she didn't particularly care to watch TV in the living room. Instead, she got to wrap up on Aunty Amy's throw, crawl up on the couch, and watch Toy Story. If you're Liv, it doesn't get any better than this!

We had a wonderful time at the party. Thanks to everyone for coming and celebrating this special occasion with us. And a big thanks to Amy and Matt for hosting the party, Andrea for the wonderful video, and Debbie for lugging those heavy plastic bins with years worth of pictures up the basement stairs and getting them to Andrea in NH. You guys are wonderful.

Happy Birthday to Neal and Bernice!

Enjoy Retirement Neal!!