On January 31st Jody celebrated his 42nd birthday, and birthdays are kind of a big deal in our house. It’s not that we always celebrate them in big ways, but we try to make them special nonetheless. Coming up with ideas to make a birthday meaningful is pretty easy for the kids, but I find it a little more challenging for my spouse. Here’s what I came up with this year.
7:30 am: This one was an unexpected surprise and completely out of my control, but thank you Jesus! We woke up on his birthday morning to the most amazing sky which cast a purple glow on everything (especially the white snow). I, of course, ran outside to capture it on camera. This picture is unedited.
8:00 am: Breakfast in bed.
9:00 am: Catching Jody off guard by spraying him down with silly string while doing his morning nebulizer treatments.
10:00 am: Presents of course.
11:00 am: Late-morning tea, served in a “Happy Birthday” mug I bought at Goodwill for .50 cents.
12:00 pm: The girls gave their Daddy a hand-made birthday card they painted just for him. The youngest used her handprint for the cake, and the oldest used her fingerprints for the balloons. The inspiration for this came from Meet the Dubiens.
1:00 pm: Lunch and then the Boston Cream birthday cake I make for him every year, per his request. And a family picture thanks to my trusty tripod.
2:00 pm: Birthday banner fun & photos.
3:00 pm: A small, silly gift to keep the fun going. Something he can keep in his oxygen backpack for headaches when he’s out and about.
5:00 pm: Another gift (after a relaxing two-hour afternoon nap).
6:00 pm: Heading out for a date night.
7:00 pm: Our reservations for dinner weren’t until 8:30 pm so I brought along his favorite candy bar for a snack (which I had bought ahead of time when I was planning for this day).
8:30 pm: Dinner at Fenz, a restaurant we’d never tried before. (I gave him the option of choosing the place or being surprised. He chose to be surprised). If you ever eat there you must try the fried pickles appetizer.
9:00 pm: A final birthday card from me, including a handwritten note, as is our card-exchanging tradition.
That was the last of the tricks up my sleeve, or so he thought, but I had one more surprise. The next day was Saturday and we had no plans. But I (along with the help of some of his friends) had arranged a birthday “Guys Night Out” for Jody. One of his friends showed up at our door at 5:10 pm and asked to take him out. Slightly confused, Jody soon realized I was in on it when I pulled a shirt out of the kitchen cabinet for him to change into and handed him a container of cupcakes to take along. Six of his friends met them for dinner at a restaurant and then they went back to another friends house afterwards (one who happens to have a 104″ projection screen TV in his basement). I was really glad Jody could get out and spend some time with his friends, and I’m told they had a blast.
As you can see, making a birthday special isn’t about the money you spend, it’s about small gestures that say, “You matter.” Sure gifts are fun, and do require some thought, but they can also be an easy way out of the celebration. Taking the time to plan ahead is key and will make your loved one feel especially loved on their special day, at least it did mine.
This wasn’t a normal, CF related post for me, but I hope you enjoyed the break from the norm and were inspired to do something fun and special for your loved ones next birthday. I’d love to read your comments of what you do to celebrate a birthday, and who knows, maybe I’ll use your idea next year.
CF Wife 