Someone turned THIRTY

I'm pretty sure that if I had ever asked Brad if he would like a surprise party, the answer would have been "heck no!" So I never asked.

You only turn 30 once, right? And when I asked him what he wanted, the only reply I got was "I want to watch the Penn State football game and the BYU football game." But that was clearly not enough  for such a milestone. I know he wants an ipad, but that was clearly not an option either. So a surprise party is what he got!

I still can't believe I pulled it off. It took two weeks of secret planning and lots of help from friends. Here's how it went down:

I told Brad that we had to go to Max's birthday party on Friday night (Max is our best friends son). 2 hours before the party was to start, I dropped Nick at piano lessons and ran over to the park to set up. Much to my dismay, the park (which I didn't reserve because I'm cheap) was reserved and chock full of people! So I frantically called three of my best friends who then called and texted all the guests while I ran to another park which was, luckily, open. I hurriedly set up and ran home to pick everyone up. Brad's parents and sister and brother-in-law were in town and when I walked in the house his mom told me that Brad had just been called into work! His advisor wanted to go over his dissertation before a deadline he had coming up a few days later. Slight panic (again) on my part. Luckily he wasn't gone for too long and we were only about 25 minutes late to the party. When he saw the banner and all of our friends cheering for him underneath and realized what I had done and what was going on he just gave me a weird look. Let's just say there were no "that was such a thoughtful thing to do, thank you so much" kind of comments happening!

I am horrible at socializing and taking pictures simultaneously so I didn't get any great ones. I did take a few with my not-so-great camera after I set up.

Don't mind the unsightly duct tape-- this onning was covered with  moss and this was only way I could get the banner to stick.

 I set up a little collage of photos highlighting some special moments and people from Brad's thirty years of life:

 We were so blessed to have Brad's family here and to have 60+ guests at the party. I snatched a few photos.

 The inevitable man circle...

 This is our favorite park that we'll miss sorely when it comes time to move. There's this great creek, a sand area, and a fun playground.

 Mal (Brad's sister) just got married this last spring. It was fun to be around newly weds.

 Here's my 30 year old husband! I had to take this photo for his resume. I really like him.

Here are 30 fun facts about Brad:
1- He says "ruh-roh". Instead of uh-oh. Yes you read that right. I am married to Scooby Doo.
2- He played football and basketball in high school. He also ran on the cross country team.
3- He loves BYU
4- He loves OHIO and anything to do with Ohio. He was a big Ohio State fan until going to Penn State (huge rivals). But he loves the Reds.
5- He never loses anthing. And when I lose things (fairly often) he can't do or concentrate on anything else until it's found.
6- He's really good at finding things ;)
7- He loves his mother (rightfully so).
8- He is a good brother to this 3 sisters and talks to them regularly
9- He's a little OCD about his wallet and his keys. He checks his pockets and/or bag 4 times before leaving the house to make sure they're there.
10- He owns 11 calculators
11- He can solve just about any math equation in his head
12- He loves numbers
13- He loves games
14- He wins at games about 98% of the time, no matter what game he's playing
15- He has pretty good taste in music, except for Kenny G and Elton John. He makes up silly songs and does silly dances all the time.
16- He played the trumpet
17- He's been in two musicals, The Fiddler on the Roof and Little Shop of Horrors
18- He's a home body -- he might not ever leave the house (other than school and church) if it weren't for me! ;)
19- His calling in our ward is to teach early morning seminary and he loves it
20- He loves sports
21- He loves politics and really enjoys bantering with people that have different view points as long as he feels like they know what they're talking about
22- He likes to read; classic novels and finance/economic books are usually what I see on his night stand
23- He likes TV and movies but is pretty picky about what he watches as far as inappropriate content is concerned (and I love this about him). He watches and enjoys girly movies with me, including the long version of Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, Wives and Daughters, and North and South, ect.
24- He coughs every time he sticks q-tips in his ears
25- He speaks Portugese in his sleep
26- He is hilariously and deliriously out of it when he is awakened in the middle of the night
27- He is a thoughtful husband; he often asks me what he can do for me and what he can do to make me happy.
28- He is a wonderful and attentive father and takes his role as father very seriously. He often talks about what kind of relationship he hopes to have with his kids as they grow and how he can help them accomplish their goals and be their best. All 3 kids adore him.
29- He would choose salty over sweet any day. He loves cheeze-its and pasta and chips with dip and bread and if he has to choose a dessert he'll choose no bake cookies or plain cheesecake with strawberry sauce.
30- When we were dating and he wanted to tell me he loved me for the first time, he chickened out and said "I more than like you." I still occastionally mock him about this, but I really think it's kind of sweet considering I am the only girl he's ever said that to!

Happy 30th Birthday to my wonderful husband! Here's to 30 more and beyond!