The Best Birthday Gift!

Well, my birthday was Sunday, but with the busy conference weekend Jared suggested we go out for breakfast Friday morning to celebrate. I got Linsey off to school and Jared had arranged for a friend to watch Hunter and Emma so I dropped them off and met him at Sunbreak Café! Yum! About halfway through breakfast Jared told me he had a little surprise…… He actually had taken the whole day off and planned to drive my car home, pick up the kids, and takeover the household duties so I could have a free day to do whatever I wanted! Jared had gone to the gym for his morning workout before we met for breakfast so we each had our own car making it easy to go our separate ways. He informed me that I was not allowed to come home unless it was an emergency and that I should meet him and the kids at my favorite restaurant for dinner at 6:00. Wow! I was so shocked at the reality of a whole day to myself that I wasn’t sure what to do. I’ve been reading a great book and my first thought was that I wish I had that with me. Part of what made this birthday gift so special is all the thought that Jared put into it. He had a cooler full of cold drinks, my book (yes, he thought to grab that for me), a letter which gave me some ideas of things I could do with my free time, and some cash to “get me started” as he put it. Jared wished me a happy birthday in the parking lot and then drove to pick up the kids. I drove out of the parking lot and then realized that I had no idea where I wanted to go first so I pulled over and thought about it for a few minutes. Jared had given me some great ideas in his letter, but I couldn’t decide where to start. I decided that I would head to South center to do some shopping and maybe after that I’d get a pedicure or see a movie. I’m not sure if I was still in shock with the possibilities or if I’ve ever driven to South center without children, but I drove the entire way in the carpool lane. Oops. I went to Nordstrom’s and tried on designer jeans just for fun, I went to the MAC counter and let them put makeup on me, consulting me on colors etc. (something I see other women doing all the time but I quickly shuffle past the counter with all of my children reaching out to see if there’s anyway they can touch anything as we pass). I shopped till my feet got tired from all the walking and then I found a place to get my hair done, that’s always a fun thing. By the time I finished there my feet were rested so I went to Target and got the Easter basket shopping done, it was nice to for once not have to hide what was in the cart from the kids so I could pretend it was from the Easter Bunny. By then, I was hungry and a little tired so I treated myself to a snickers bar and some licorice for lunch and then I settled in at the library with my book. I spent the rest of the day reading. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to “stay away” for the whole day, but it was a lot easier than I had thought! I loved it and had a great time, but I was anxious to see Jared and the kids that night at the Olive Garden. We had a delicious dinner and the rest of the weekend continued to be wonderful. I feel so lucky to have such a sweet husband, wonderful kids, and great friends. Thanks everyone for a great birthday!