Surprise! Happy Birthday to Me!

I haven't blogged in a few days, and boy have we been busy. Wednesday, we went to a playdate at Big Jen's house. Thursday, we had a huge 5 hour electrical storm in North AL that seriously caused us to fear for our safety. We lost power for almost a whole day, so Little and I spent the night at my parents' house. But the most exciting thing that happened recently was my surprise 30th birthday party today! Frank went over and above on this one. I am truly impressed and just overwhelmed by how much he loves me. If love is an action, he showed me love in a big way today, down to every last little detail and surprise.

I had no clue, and this is the first time anybody has ever surprised me like this. I can't remember anyone ever doing something so sweet and thoughtful for me. I was definitely overwhelmed with emotion, so much that I couldn't even walk in the room after I came in the front door. I was in tears!

I'll start at the beginning. My mom asked me if I'd like for her to take me shopping for a pair of pants for my birthday (since I don't have any that fit). So I said "of course" and she picked me up at 9 AM so we could get breakfast on the way to Bridge Street. Little did I know what was happening at my house in the meantime. And if I had I just might have fixed my hair and worn a cuter outfit. We didn't find any pants but decided to go to Anthropologie to look for some tops. I called Frank to let him know I'd found a couple of tops and that we'd be heading home soon. Again, little did I know that people were in the background at my house decorating and preparing for the big shindig! We left Bridge Street at about 11 AM to head home, and on our way I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to stop by Michael's to get something for a craft I'm going to make. She said we better wait until next week because Frank and my dad will be ready for us to get home to go to lunch. Great story, mom! So I thought we were going to go to lunch with my dad and then after Little's afternoon nap, we were going to take her over to spend the night with my parents while we met a small group of friends at Bonefish Grill for dinner. This story was very elaborate, down to me having an outfit picked out and what time we'd pick up Little in the morning at my parents' house. You just never know who you can trust, do you?

We pulled up at home and there were cars outside my house. Because nothing was really on my radar, I still didn't clue in as to what was going on. I noticed Leah's car and wondered if maybe just a couple of people were inside. Frank was sitting on the front porch waiting for me and handed me a necklace to put on. It said "Why Grow Up?" and had big 30's on it...the same necklace I bought for Leah last year when she turned 30.

As soon as we walked in the door, there were decorations hanging from the ceiling, balloons all over the place, and people...lots and lots of people! I was shocked and just turned around and buried my head in Frank's chest and cried. How blessed I am! I couldn't stop crying for a minute. Then, I tried to hold myself together and then I noticed who all was here. And immediately I saw Daniel! My sweet brother-in-law who was supposedly halfway across the world! What a surprise! And then I saw some of my other dear friends! How special that everybody had been planning this for me and keeping this secret for so long! Then, more surprises just kept happening. Some of my dearest friends showed up from out of town. Casey came from Birmingham with her two kids. Shannon came from Birmingham. Jackson came from Montgomery and even made me a homemade carrot cake...my absolute favorite! I hadn't seen Jackson in years and years! And come to find out that he met Frank (for the very first time) a couple of days before to drop off the carrot cake on his way to Nashville. I am amazed at all the planning that went into this party. And there were even more surprises. Frank ordered my favorite food from Birmingham, Full Moon BBQ, and ordered a strawberry cake from Edgar's, a bakery in Birmingham. If you've never had either of these things, you are missing out! The strawberry cake was for the party because the carrot cake (made by Jackson) was strictly for me. I had to stand back after the candles were lit because they were dangerous! Can we say "Sparklers in the house"? And Frank made a playlist for the IPOD to play at the party that included songs in order by year from 1981-2011 of all the songs that were #1 on my birthday. How sweet is he! And those of you that know me best will be glad to know that Baby Got Back was one of those songs.And what party would be complete without a little fire? Casey decided to fix herself a plate of food after the party was over. Let me explain that the plates had metallic decorations on them. So, she put her barbecue in the microwave and next thing you know, she'll yelling "My plate is on fire!" And seriously, it was! Not just a small fire. I even got the fire extinguisher out, but by that time she had stifled the fire. We laughed and laughed and all I could say was "I sure wish I had my camera in here!" Frank came downstairs and was disappointed that he missed seeing the fire. What a typical guy! Casey said "They should really put a warning on these plates." And then she turned the plate over and here's what she saw. Awesome! What a great story to tell!

Have I mentioned how much I love this man? I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband who tells me and shows me how much he cares for me every day. I am so thankful for him. I'm beginning to think 30 is going to be a great year!