the big three-zero

I turned thirty earlier this month, and overall I must say that it was not as painful as I thought it might be.  I went for a haircut the day after my birthday, in fact, and the stylist remarked that I didn't have "a single gray hair" yet!  So there's that going for me, at least.

My husband managed to conspire with friends and plan a surprise party for me.  The morning of my birthday I took Nell to a doctor's appointment, and as I was walking out of the office to my car, who should roll down her window there in the parking lot but my friend Cara, there to surprise me and take me out to a birthday lunch followed by a bit of shopping. Little did I know that this was giving Nathan the perfect opportunity to tidy up the house and bake me a cake - from scratch!

I came back home in the afternoon, and Nathan assured me that we were doing something for my birthday, although he wouldn't tell me what.  I figured maybe he would be taking me out to dinner.  But then evening rolled around, and my brother-in-law Andrew and his fiancée Hannah walked in the door.  Nathan said they were there to celebrate my birthday, and we'd be grilling for dinner.  Cool!  I was pretty happy about this turn of events, and didn't know this was just the beginning.  But then more people arrived, and more... and they kept coming!

In the end, about a dozen of our friends were there.  Nathan had asked people to bring specific food to share, to go with the grilled corn and veggie kebabs he and Andrew made, altogether making for a pretty perfect party.  Among other things, Kevin brought his award-winning guacamole, and Melissa brought her delicious radish dip specialty.  Yum!  And Katie mixed up margaritas all around, making for happy guests.

Not only did Nathan bake me a cake from scratch (this is a guy who virtually never sets foot in the kitchen!), but he even thought to open windows and air out the house so when I got home I wouldn't have an inkling as to his activities.  Very clever!  

And the cake was delicious, by the way.

Nathan gave me a kitchen scale I had been wanting (to weigh ingredients for my bread-baking endeavors), and a special Kitchen Aid paddle with a scraper he had been wanting me to have.  He likes gadgets, and this one is pretty useful.  Beater plus scraper all wrapped up into one!

Thanks, babe, for doing something special for my thirtieth.  Not only did you plan a party for me, you planned a party with all vegetarian food!  I felt loved.



So far, being thirty isn't so bad.