Another year older, and hopefully wiser too!

Well, I am now officially OLD! I turned 30... please no applause. This is a very sad moment. I will never again be known as young. I am closer in age to gray-haired people than the cute little bouncy teenagers. :( Very sad!

For the record, Chad does deserve major, I'm talking major huge big brownie points for years to come for making my birthday filled with the least amount of tears possible. And the only tears I did have were happy ones. (I am going to blame that on being pregnant too, where every day is an emotional day! lol)

For the past year, I have been bugging my husband to death about how he better make my 30th birthday party something spectacular or ELSE! The week prior to my birthday, I was in tears threatening him with the wrath of doom if he didn't get busy planning my big party. He kept saying, "We ARE having a party. Your family and mine are coming over to have some cake and ice cream!" I proceeded to tell him that THAT was not considered a worth party for my 30th birthday and I didn't want to hear anything more about what he had "planned" because I didn't want to cry anymore.

So along came my birthday and he simply stated we were going to dinner and movie and that his mom was coming over to watch the kids for us, then the family was coming over for cake... blah blah blah. I was already crying inside and the night hadn't even started.

On the way to the movie, Chad missed the exit for the theater and started getting really mad and upset. I was thinking, "hmm.... ok I guess we aren't going to the movie. He's just trying to trick me into thinking he's really mad, and then he's going to surprise me with a huge party somewhere." Turns out he really IS mad and we have now missed about 20 min of the movie. So that sucks AND I am bummed there's no surprise party.

After the movie we head to one of my favorite restaurants, PF Chang's. That was yummy! On the drive home, I forced myself to lower my expectations for the "party" and just be happy that the fam is coming over to celebrate me getting really old. So I come inside and Chad mysteriously disappears somewhere (and I think, "He has been doing that A LOT lately... I wonder why?") and my mom is here with Sam and Sarah and of course the kids and Chad's mom. We start watching some Olympics on TV and I figure I guess we will be having some cake/ice cream/presents a little later. I am casually talking with my mom about something and glance out towards the front door and see a guy (who I'm sure wishes to remain nameless) from our ward just standing there in the front entryway. I'm a little puzzled since I for one didn't even know the front door was open and was just curious as to why he decided to randomly stop by. So I walk over and say hi and out pops his wife from our living room. "Oh... Hi!" So I could tell now the 2 of them where feeling a little bit awkward and in walks Chad and says, "Come on in!" They start to say, "I hope we didn't ruin anything." Chad says, "No, you're totally fine!" and then he opens the blinds to our sliding back door. There are about 20 people outside sitting in chairs.

I was like, "WOW! I guess the party started and I better go and greet my guests." HE DID PLAN MY BIG PARTY! YAY! I was so excited and happy, I couldn't hardly contain my happy tears. I felt so terrible remembering how I had acted the week before and all the pouting I did the past year. Chad did so good pretending to do nothing, and I couldn't believe I didn't figure it out. He was so sneaky!

Chad had an outdoor theater set up, complete with projector, surround sound, caramel & buttered popcorn, candy, the works! We played some Wii on a huge screen (courtesy of my brother Sam). We watched "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" when it got dark enough. It was like a drive-in movie in my own backyard. Chad is so clever!

It was so nice of everyone to come. I was so surprised, it's going to be hard for Chad to top it. (But I'm sure he will) My friend even showed me the cute, funny email he sent out to everyone - It was so adorable, he made me cry. Before cake and ice cream, Chad read me Top 10 List of why he loves me so much - again with the crying! It definitely is the best birthday I have ever had!