My Magical Afternoon

Thursday afternoon, January 21, 2010..a day that will live in my heart forever. My staff gave me a gift certificate for Afternoon Tea at the Ritz-Carlton. It was grand and so many things about it were just divine.

Here's Jessie checking out our menu. Don't you just love this wonderful hat. That was such a fun part of our little tea. So many wonderful hats! At least in my estimation.

Here's our tea sandwiches. The chicken salad on pumpernickel was the best I'd ever had. It had a sliced date on the top which gave it a special zing. The center is a crab quiche, cucumber sandwich with asparagus, brie and salmon, a pizza-like tasty treat.

Here's our gang upon arrival. They are the greatest group of girls. Smart, sweet and oh so much fun. They work hard and we like to play hard too. Most of them have Biology degrees and are dedicated to our mission of giving others sight.

Here we are sipping our tea. I'm in the background taking it all in. It was almost surreal. The teas we tried were Orange Jasmine, Vanilla Bean, Wild Blackberries and Wild Blossoms and Berries. This is the married side of the room. We didn't realize it until we were seated for about an hour that all the singles were on one side and the married all together. We also realized that the singles are all size 0 and 2. Bless their hearts.

This is Christina. She's a sweetheart and a graduate of the University of Georgia. She plans on going to med school one of these days and we sure don't want to let her go, but will be proud of her.

This is Gena and Nana Trish. Gena provided 3 of the hats for our tea (mine included). She's been to the Kentucky Derby many times and has the most beautiful hats. She's another sweetie.

Here's Saira sipping her tea. She has the best personality. She keeps us laughing and upbeat even when it gets stressful. She has been married almost two years and a very hard worker.

Here's some of the gang. The Ritz is so beautiful. Dark woods and grand rugs and artwork.

Here's Jessie, Christina and Gena. Don't you just love the hats and outfits? I think this looks like a picture that should be painted.

Erica, Jessie and Christina. All graduates of the University of Georgia. Go Dawgs!!!

Here's Chemika, my right hand man. Doesn't she look great? She stayed with me at the hospital when I was in last September. She didn't want me to be by myself and she was getting married just a couple of days later. She slept in a chair and I will never ever forget her kindness to me. She's a University of Alabama graduate.

Here's Chesoni on the left and Jamila on the right. They are bubbly and full of energy. Believe it or not, Chesoni has six children and she looks fabulous all the time. Jamila is our Research Coordinator and does a great job. She has two sweet little girlies

Yes, this is a cup of the most delicious tea. I wish you could have been there to join us.

The top to me was the very best. Fresh scones and they were served with Devon shire cream. It was like my taste buds were dancing around all happy, happy, happy.

Here's a very serious Nana Trish looking over the menu and interesting information about tea and it's history. It was a great time and I told the girls that it was as if they hadn't given me my flowers before time (if you know what I mean) I love making these sweet memories. I'm glad I could share with you, my bloggy friends. love ya.