birthday weekend

I'm not sure how to begin or even write this post. I probably will have to save it and work on it at multiple times, due to the contemplation that comes with writing it. This past weekend, my husband, my best friend, my love,.....went to far lengths to help me feel loved and cherished. Many of you helped. Thank you.

We were originally supposed to be going on a date, on a Friday that I had off and that he was going to take off. (at least that was what I thought). Recently when Libby got sick and I had an important mtg at school and could not stay home- he sacrificed his last day off to be with her. I was devastated. It appeared that now there was no way he could go on our date. He eventually told me that day would happen whether he was there or not. I pictured myself attending some Boise show all by myself.....

After many questions and many lies, on the Thursday night before, my girlfriend arrived at 11:30 at night with all her luggage and her precious 5 month old baby on my doorstep....I was so excited to have a day with her in the morning. In the morning, we got the kids off to daycare, and Jer ending up having the day off after all. He said he needed to run a quick errand in Boise and he would meet us out there. He obviously was still up to something....(But you never know about this guy....he recently opened his trunk and presented me with a heavy duty Kitchen Aid that he purchased almost new on Craig's List...."for my birthday"- but he could have said it was for Columbus Day, because the precious man doesn't seem to need a reason to celebrate or give)

We met him out at Barnes and Noble for some much needed sitting/coffee/book reading.....

We walked around the coffee corner looking for him, and there.....were......3 more of my friends sitting at the table. I was.......pretty speechless. I was overwhelmed. How did they all whip down here? It was still a work day, so they would have had to take time off to fly a few states away and leave their families, their jobs and their lives.....to surprise me. Sure, for girls weekends, we all do that, but we had seen each other several times this summer. I felt so honored. After I suppressed my feelings so we could move on with the event in laughter, we mapped out our day. We went to the scrap booking store and caught up on each other's lives....we spent 4 hours in the mall, giving advice, discussing the latest styles, and helped each other find a few must-have's in our closets. Sheer bliss.....

All the while, my hubs was also camped out in the mall. I called to check up on him and he noted, "I'm good. I just finished a book." sweet man.

That evening we got pizza and played with the kids some. After the kids went to bed, several girls dyed their hair (with great results, by the way) and we all got ready. Jer volunteered to not only stay with the kids but also watch the 5 month old. This is a bold move for my sweet husband, who is notoriously known for not enjoying baby world. But he did it out of love. Out of the pure desire to give me time out with my friends. That desire was so strong that he wasn't even upset when he had to text us multiple times that the babe had woken up and none of the "stand-by's" were working to calm him. I'm sure he was frustrated, but he didn't do the heavy sigh that gives the non-verbal message of being utterly and completely annoyed. He was amazing.

As were my friends. Apparently Jer had given them the message, months prior, that I seemed a little down. I'm not sure I would have called myself that, but I definitely have had moments where- there's no end in sight. No night out planned, no babysitter, no girl time, no hubs time, no me-time. When there's no relief, and cooooonnnnnstant chaos, it can get a little overwhelming. (Can I get a what!what!?)

They all continued the blessing the next day. Jer took the boys out early to donuts and everyone was able to sleep in a little....(except the mom of the sweet, disgruntled baby...Poor Creighton) We played games with the kids and I tried to get in some mom time. I could tell it was beginning to bother Luke that I was around, but not really "around". Suddenly, the girls told me that we were going to go somewhere for a little while. So we all packed in the car and they took me to coffee. We had a great time talking, and just being women. Don't all women need time to talk about everything, and nothing? Men enjoy..... not talking when they are together.

Then they took me to get a pedicure. Once again, I felt so unworthy of all of the special treatment. As if the weekend hadn't already been incredible, we headed home and on the counter was a table full of gifts and a cake. (mind you, my birthday is in December. 3 days after Christmas, to be exact. Usually people aren't really around to go out with and I don't really bother asking anymore, since I know it's a really inconvenient time) He had planned this weekend to revive my spirit and to celebrate my birthday with my closest friends. The gifts were a complete surprise. They had already done so much. I awkwardly opened all of them while Libby sat on my lap. Everything fit, everything was perfect, and everything was amazing.

We began getting ready for our last event together. We were going to go to a fondue dinner. Jer had arranged for a friend from work to babysit the kids...

We headed out and the restaurant was amazing. The food was spectacular and Jer presented me with this:

a box of 25 letters written by friends and family. He solicited these letters over the course of the month (if he missed you- it's because he couldn't find your email...) The letters were birthday wishes, expressions of love towards me. They were full of affirmations, encouragement,and gratitude towards me for various memories throughout life. I was humbled and honored. That night and maybe the next morning, I began thinking about my role in people's lives. I've always been drawn to people. My strengths lie in relationships, not in books or in crafted skills. Someone is always on my mind - someone who seems down, someone who might be going through something tough, something exciting, or something they may need a friend for....I can't help but think along those lines....It's how God made me. And I know he made me that way for a purpose. The letters from everyone confirmed what I am passionate about. They were almost a a gift from God, reminding me of the mold he created. Most of all I felt so blessed. All those people in my life, help make me who I am today. I felt so supported. It was a superb birthday.