My surprise 30th birthday (Or, Why I have the best husband in the universe)

We went to visit family right after Christmas...and there were some extra friends visiting, too, which was wonderful. Little did I know they were all there to celebrate my birthday!!

On Sunday, one week to the day after my birthday, we all went out to lunch. I asked where we were going, and my mother-in-law said, "Oh, there's this new place I thought we'd try." So we got there...and it was a surprise birthday party for me, all organized by my awesome, wonderful, amazing, thoughtful husband! It was my very first birthday party, because I never had one when I was little - my poor mom would try to plan them for me, and then I would get sick (because I was born on the first day of winter!), and then she'd have to cancel. So I finally told her to stop trying...but had I known having your own birthday party was so very fun, I might have kept up the good fight a little longer. I had an awesome time!

Most of my good friends from college were there, some having traveled great distances to do it...I only missed one friend who had conflicting plans and couldn't make it. My friend Vic came, and I hadn't seen her since her wedding reception two years ago. That was a pretty great surprise. And of course, all my family was there (except my dad, who was sick!). Pretty much everyone interrupted their Christmas breaks to come to my party, and I was just blown away that they would all do that for me. I got some lovely gifts (Swarovski crystal necklace) and some very funny gifts (a hula hoop, which I was completely hopeless at using), and just had a fantastic time with everyone.

But the best part? My party was at a place called Bounce About, which is a big room full of those giant moon bouncer thingies you see at kids' parties...but these were big enough for "big kids," too, so we all ran around and bounced and ate pizza and cake and drank way too much pop, and had a terrific time. I have got to be the only person in the history of birthdays who had her 30th birthday at a moon bouncer place. It was AWESOME, and the best, most creative idea for a 30th birthday party, and I could not believe my fantastic husband did all of that for me. He started planning it in October! He made sure everyone could come! And he thought of the very most fun place ever to have a party. (Hannah loved it - she ran up to me when we first got there and said, "Mom, I LIKE your PARTY!!")

It was the best day ever. I have rarely, if ever, had that much fun. I am so lucky to have the family and friends that I do!!

Thanks to everyone who came, or helped, or had anything to do with pulling it off. I was completely floored. I never suspected anything, and have never been so surprised. I like surprises when they're good. :)

On turning 30

Today I am 30 years old.

I spent most of the last year being freaked out about the looming three-oh. I'm not sure why. I'm quite pleased with where I am in my life. For some reason, though, when I turned 29, it hit me that I hadn't done anything crazy in my twenties and now they were almost over. I got married when I was 22 and one week, moved to a new state when I was 22 1/2, got a good job and bought a house at 24 and had a baby at 26. All of those are wonderful things, but it didn't leave a lot of time for being crazy. So I never did one crazy thing, ever - nothing to tell Hannah about when she gets older and I try to "relate" to her while she rolls her eyes and says I'm lame. *chuckle* And I think that's why I was having anxiety about 30. Because who does crazy stuff in their thirties?

I'm not even a "do crazy stuff" kind of person, which I suppose is why I never have. But I'd like to do one wacky thing, just once, that's fun but doesn't involve any kind of trouble. I've decided I will work on this in my "year of being 30."

The funny thing is, the closer my birthday got, the less I freaked out about it. I think the freaking out hit a fever pitch a couple of months ago, and it's been on this slow decline ever since then. It just seemed inevitable, and then it started to seem like any other birthday, and then it seemed like not a big deal at all. So I'm actually feeling quite happy today. :)

This is helped along by the fact that my family got me Rock Band 2, so I've been playing video games all day. And if you can still play video games when you're 30, there's still time to do something memorable and wacky, too! :)

Almost done

So...I have one take-home final left, and that's it. I have zero motivation to even start it. (I've had it since Thursday night, and it has remained firmly in my pile of school books ever since.) My rationale for this is that, if I were to take the final IN CLASS, it would take an hour, so since I have three nights left in which to do it, certainly I can get it done in plenty of time. I know that fundamentally this is right. However, I really should've started the thing already. I mean, I haven't even LOOKED at it. I have no idea what's on it.

I think I might be turning into a "normal" student. And it only took nearly 30 years, a husband, a full-time job and a preschooler to get me here. *chuckle*

But speaking of "nearly 30 years," I went out for my "nearly 30th birthday" on Saturday and had a delightful time. (Probably saying it was "delightful" sounds old...like high tea or something. It was not like high tea, unless they have margaritas, tequila shots and vodka tonics at high tea...which, I believe, they do not.) Anyway, I went to The Baton in Chicago with some friends, which provides "the best in female impersonation" according to their website. (I'm not linking to the website because there's not much there, and you'd just be disappointed. Google it if you really care.) Anyway, the show was fantastic and we all had a great time. Two of the performers completely confused me with their flawless makeup and flawless other things. And two were totally making eyes at one of my friends, who happens to be a very cute gay man...partially because he's very cute and partially, I think, that they know they get tips if they stare at people in the audience.

And, remarkably, I was in "okay" shape the next day. I won't say I didn't need extra sleep, and I won't claim to have gotten through the day without Tylenol...and I did actually go outside the house without makeup for approximately the first time since giving birth because I just didn't have the energy to deal with concealer...but I was "okay." :)

So yeah, I'm NOT 30 YET!

And now, I must put my kid to bed and sort of think about maybe starting that final, I guess, perhaps...