Happy Birthday, Heath!

Friday was my wonderful husband's 28th birthday. He is getting to be an "old" man, isn't he? ;) Since I had already given him a surprise birthday gift the Friday before, it was a low-key day for us. The previous week I had surprised him with a night away at a local hotel and thanks to the help of his mom, Debby, we pulled it off! We began the evening at Dos Reales (his all-time favorite place to eat) and then I let him know our bags were packed in the trunk and we were getting a night just to ourselves....no kids, no obligations, no stress. At first, he didn't seem to realize that it was happening that night because his reaction was less than stellar. When he realized that I was not kidding and yes, in fact, we were going to the hotel after dinner, he was a little more excited.

I do have to let you know, however, there were many strikes against us during the last couple of days leading up to the surprise. Heath came down with a bad cold, Kellyn was acting like a monster as she was getting over whatever illness she had the previous week, Heath had a wedding rehearsal to run that evening (which he did not inform me of until a few days before the surprise) and a couple more personal things that were not as conveniently timed as they could have been. But we were making the best of it! If for no other reason than Priceline does not allow refunds/exchanges. We did have a great evening, despite those stumbling blocks. We went swimming, sat in the hot tub, watched TV without kids scrambling everywhere and slept in a bed without two little bodies smothering us all night long! It was a nice and much-needed break.

So, for Heath's actual birthday, it was tacos for dinner, framed pictures of the kids for his desk at work and a lazy day of doing next to nothing. We briefly talked about how much more exciting birthdays are when you're young. Heath's comment was true and relatable. He said, "As a kid, I just looked forward to presents. Now, I look forward to some break-time for me." As a parent, your life revolves around your children 24/7. So, it is pretty nice when those periods of respite occur. A friend of mine recently observed that there really is NO other full-time job other than parenting. How very true that is! And I would not want anyone else other than my loving husband to help me get the job done. Happy Birthday, Heath! You are so very loved.