Happy 35th!!

I count down the days till Joe's birthday. I can't wait to celebrate him! I carefully plan to make sure everything is perfect, I secretly prepare little special surprises for him and do my best to keep them secret. It's difficult to plan anything without him knowing, but I do my best. I was determined that my secret gift would not backfire like it did last year.

(Last year Wes and a pregnant me escaped via tuk tuk to purchase some potted plants that would be delivered to our home, carried up to our roof, and arranged to begin what we were hoping would become a small oasis on our roof. My plan was to bring Joe upstairs to surprise him with the beauty of my creation when he came home from work. However. The tuk tuk was in an accident on its way to our home and by the time my plants were delivered, there were broken branches, clay pots, and dirt everywhere. The driver was so apologetic. I gave him money to go buy more clay pots and we began the process of salvaging and transplanting in our driveway. By the time Joe came home, the plants were still being carried up to our roof, trails of dirt left all throughout our house, and the PPBS faculty were scheduled to arrive in just a few minutes for a fun evening together, which just happened to fall on Joe's birthday. Joe walked into the house and said, "What is going on?? Isn't everyone supposed to be here soon? Where's the mop?"

Yes, that birthday gift, although appreciated later, was a bit of a flop.) Not to mention that the power was going out 5-7+ hours a day last year. Try baking a birthday cake that way. Not an easy task.

THIS year, I planned ahead, had my gift ordered in plenty of time, managed to take both kids out shopping without Joe knowing, and we were ready. 

However. The morning of his birthday:

- The refrigerator broke. I had to call the repair guy.

- The internet went out. I had to call the repair guy. 

- Both repair guys showed up at the same time, at which time the power went out, at which time the baby work up from her nap, at which time Joe called to see how my day was going. 

- The repair guys FINALLY got our generator going when the power came back on and they had to turn it off.

- The fan in the living room broke. I had to have it sent out for repairs.

- The power blinked out 3 times, making baking the brownies a challenge.

- The company called me to say that they made the wrong beanbag chair that I had ordered. Did I want to wait a few days for them to make the correct one? Or have them bring the wrong one?

Augh!

Joe's day was similar to my own:

- The evening before his birthday, his back pack was stolen. In it was his Greek text book for the class he's currently in, two sweaty dress shirts, and two English text books he uses to teach his ESL classes.

- He had to write a big Greek exam. He'd gotten up at 4 AM to make sure he would be ready. The font wasn't installed properly, and when his proctor printed off the exam, what should have been Greek text, was only square boxes. By the time the font was re-installed, there wasn't time to write the test. Augh!

- It poured rain that morning. It hasn't rained in months! He got drenched as he biked to school to teach.

The good news is, by the time Joe came home at 3 PM: 

- he realized he had a .pdf for his Greek text that had been stolen!

- he was able to replace the 2 ESL text books in time for the class he had to use them for

- he had written his Greek exam and felt surprisingly good about it!

- the power had stayed on long enough for me to finish all my baking!

- the refrigerator, internet, and fan were all repaired!

- the house was clean, ready for small group (which we host every Friday night, which just happened to also fall on his birthday)

- our decorations the kids and I had made were hung up and complete!

- both babies were sleeping!

- the house smelled of his chosen birthday dinner cooking! (sausage on a bun with sauerkraut. haha)

- Joe's birthday gift (the correct one I had ordered) was scheduled to be delivered after small group was finished!

So, we had a great day, after all! 

So many random things happened, I just had to write them all down. 

I love doing life with you, Joey! I'm so glad we get to enjoy the craziness of life together! :D

Here are a few pics of our day to remember those special moments. :)

I left a surprise breakfast of bagels and cream cheese out for Joey for when he woke up super early to study (I had to ask around to see if/where bagels and cream cheese were sold. I was referred to a bakery and Wes, Bria, and I slipped away one afternoon by tuk tuk to find it and sneak it home for daddy!) What a fun surprise for him...that we all got to enjoy! :)

 Here is Wes putting his finishing touches on the sign we made.

Wes REALLY wanted to put a "4" between the 3 & 5. I had to cut out a 4 as well. He couldn't understand why we didn't hang it on the wall, too. lol

Ready to dig in to yummy food!

Joe was one happy guy when he opened up Wes' gift to him and discovered his favorite: Bic pens! He had been looking for them around the city. A perfect gift for my teacher-husband! :)

I used Joe's birthday as an incentive to frame some family photos.

And here is the bean bag chair we got him! I didn't get any photos of it, but upon delivery, Wes & a neighbor boy were jumping and doing flips on it...it was great fun! This is Wes enjoying it in a more calm state.

Bria likes it, too!

And the birthday boy enjoys his gift, too!

I moved it up to the office and transformed our office into a sort of den so that we could have a place where we can all escape the heat when we just need some good air con! I has been a perfect haven from the 40+*C (100+*F) we've been having. phew!

 

The next day he gave ME roses...just because he was grateful for all that I did to make him feel special on his day, which makes me want to honor him more. And the circle of love and giving just keeps going.

I'm so grateful to have this man in my life. Every day is sweet because he's in it. Every moment I'm with him is anticipated and cherished and I wish it wouldn't end. I find myself counting down the hours & then minutes till he gets home from work, and I just can't believe that I am so blessed to have him in my life and journey through the next 35+ years with him. 

I love you, Joey! Happy birthday! 

yours