The Big 3-0

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. And my golden at that. Ever since the ball dropped on 2007 I've been thinking about how crazy it is that I'm going to be 30 this year, and wondering how I might like to celebrate it. And ever since I turned 29 last year, I've been telling my 2 best girlfriends from high school (Cindy and Dutcher) that we have to do some big trip or get-together this year because we are all turning 30. But since we span the width of the United States and 2 of the 3 of us have toddlers, I wasn't really sure how the logistics of all that were going to work out. Then I found out that our close friends Art and Kristen were getting married this weekend (I'll post about that later), and I kinda figured that my birthday would just be a regular birthday, which is of course nice in and of itself.



So Brian was going to be occupied for most of yesterday throwing a bachelor party for Art (which I heard was awesome), but on Friday night he told me that he had made some plans for me, complete with gift certificates from his family. I literally spent the day doing the things I love to do, it was truly the best. We started out by hitting a few garage sales, in which I found some really good bargains on clothes and toys for Katy. Then around lunchtime, Melanie, Susan, Beth, Katy and I all headed out to my favorite shopping area and had lunch at Chipotle (where else would you eat on your birthday, please). Then we happened upon the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale, and we cleaned up. It was sweet. The other thing I love about this mall is that it has water fountains that kids are allowed to play in, so we had a blast watching Katy run mostly around the fountains. She also discovered this bench and would not stop climbing on and off of it.

Once we were home, I called my mom and told her about the lovely birthday I had had, and how much I appreciated the time with my friends. Then I told her how my Dad and Sue were coming over to take me out to dinner. They arrived and I opened gifts and we were trying to decide where to go eat with a toddler on a Saturday night. Just then I noticed someone on the front porch...oh, it's just Cindy and Dutcher...WAIT A MINUTE! Wait just a MINUTE! There's no possible way that my 2 best friends from high school, who live halfway and all the way across the country, respectively, are standing on my front porch. But there they were.

Oregon, Ohio, and Illinois, representin'

Everyone erupted with excitement, anxious to tell me all the details of the preceding weeks as my sweetheart of a husband had planned this glorious surprise. It turns out that Dad and Sue had come to babysit, and I was in for a night on the town with my girls, including good conversation, laughter, and reminiscence. I proceeded to put on my party clothes and we headed out to the hot spots. We finished the night by collapsing slumber party-style all in one room for a generous 3 or 4 hours of sleep before getting up to head to the airport. It meant the world to me that they came, and man, it was sweet.

Normally I think the anticipation of the event is half the fun, but with a surprise such as this one, the post-game is equally as exciting. Everyone at the wedding was asking "Hey, (double elbow nudge), how was your birthday?" and I got to tell the story over and over again. It really was an incredibly special birthday. And I can't even express how thankful I am to have such a generous husband. Even though he was overwhelmed with wedding activities, he still managed to plan a jam-packed birthday from dawn till dusk with so many people who are so special to me. I am a lucky, lucky, 30 year old girl.