thirty

mr. o had a birthday, and the theme this year was surprise! (and effort!)

you only turn thirty once (really?!), and i haven't been known for being the thoughtful one in our relationship, so i figured i should redeem myself.

so, i threw a little suprise party. a guy's only movie night, so mr. o could show off his theater and i wouldn't have to cook anything or entertain!

a big thanks to our parent's who watched the baby while we were out, and set up the shindig.

and mike, who showed up an hour too early (sorry!) and helped decorate- and erin for letting him come! also landon & jacey who helped me keep mr. o away until the party started!

i was pretty paranoid every time mr. o opened a closet or talked to a friend, so it was a big relief once the cat was out of the bag.

it was so great to see so many of his friends show up to support him. the highlight for me (and i'm sure the rest of the crowd) was when he modeled his new zebra print speedo from greg! awesome.

i had such limited windows of time to make the pinatas & other decorations & gifts, because i didn't dare let the boys in on the secret, but they were both so excited for the day nonetheless. miles was totally into making things for him, so mr. o got to open a whole box full of treasures like this:

i was excited to give him a little project i've been working on all year: a notebook journal with daily entries of things i love and appreciate about him. i feel like he does so much for me, and my particular skills don't really translate to things i can do for him (aside from mending clothes occasionally) so i was glad to be able to give something that reflected some effort and dedication!

here are some of the embellishments:

a list heading from the "pocket page".

some doodles on the other side.. i tucked some concert ticket stubs, fathers day coupons, and an anniversary card in the pockets.

the inside back cover (this was finn's favorite part of the present-opening ceremony!)

and the back cover.

whew! i feel like now i can relax.. but probably just for one day.