30th Birthday

Miles's 30th birthday fell on Father's Day this year. I'm not sure he was too happy about combining two celebrations into one, but he was a good sport. Sadly, since I had been on bed rest and wasn't sure when I would be off, and last week my family was in town, all my ambitious ideas for a grand celebration were stifled and crushed to smithereens. I tried to quickly put together the best party I could, and I hope it was ok for Miles. I think it was, because let's be honest...he's not much of a partier.


We started the day off with buttermilk pancakes, strawberries and homemade whipped cream and syrup. I would have made SPAM as well, but sadly...we were out. It was a yummy breakfast and Owen especially enjoyed it as he got his first experience learning to lick the beaters. :)

I contacted Miles's siblings who were in the area (Megan and Mitchell) as well as his good friend from high school (Jeremy) and his wife, Amanda, to all come over. Miles specifically requested chili dogs for his birthday dinner. Who am I to argue with that? I mean, it certainly made my life a lot easier. So we had chili dogs, watermelon, chips, carrots and dip, and IBC root beer. Jeremy asked what he could bring and I told him to bring Miles's favorite drink (IBC root beer). Poor guy said they had to go to I think four different stores to find any in stock, and got the last two cases. Crazy! But it was much appreciated.

After dinner, we opened presents. Miles actually opened one in the morning. It was the matching SPAM shirts he and Owen are wearing. Cute, huh? And what's even more perfect is that Owen recently tried SPAM and seems to love it as much as his Dada.

Miles was a good Dad and let Owen help him out with opening all his presents. (Owen actually helped me wrap them earlier...and had attempted to open them before the party as well.)

Miles is really hard to buy for. He either wants something that is ridiculously expensive, or has already bought whatever was affordable for himself anyway. I tried not to get too many clothes, but I did get him a couple nice button-up shirts and a tie, the game Munchkin with an expansion deck, and a BodyMedia arm band (it's like a body bug that tracks your movement, eating, sleeping, etc. This was a gift he requested.)

Following presents, we had dessert - a dark chocolate chip bundt cake with dark chocolate ganache. It was pretty dang delicious if I do say so myself.

Miles was a stinker and acted like he was going to blow out the candles, but then pinched them out with his fingers.

Afterward, we just hung out for a bit and chatted with our guests. It was pretty low-key, but fun overall. And of course, Miles and Mitch had to make Megan squirm when they took a sibling picture.

And here was our attempt at a family photo.

I meant to be on top of getting this last present done for the morning of his birthday, but didn't get to it. I figured now is as good a time as any for Miles to get his last present from me since he's been a working fiend and could use the extra love.

30 reasons why I love Miles:

1) You love me, even when I'm at my worst.

2) You're a great, fun, dad and Owen adores you.

3) You work SO hard to be a good provider.

4) You are a worthy priesthood holder.

5) You are very patient.

6) You grow an awesome beard.

7) You are so smart and know all kinds of random facts and trivia, among all the important things to know as well.

8) You make me laugh.

9) You're just the right amount of "bad" for me. ;)

10) You're a good cook.

11) Your love of brownie centers compliments my love of the edge.

12) You give me the best back scratches...almost every night.

13) You practice good hygiene (even if you look like a mountain man).

14) You have a great memory.

15) You are handsome.

16) You are a tease and sarcastic, and don't take offense to my sarcasm.

17) You have a sweet tooth (and love for dark chocolate) that rivals my own.

18) You love to read and have shared that love and many good books with me.
19) You share your food with me, even when you don't want to.

20) You accept me despite our major differences in politics, guns, and regard of the outdoors.

21) You buy me flowers.

22) You let me hold the remote control and watch ridiculous shows with me.

23) You appreciate quality food and my cooking (which are not mutually exclusive), yet don't expect me to make dinner every night.

24) You never demean me or make me feel like I am less than you or anyone else.

25) You introduce me to new things I might not have appreciated otherwise (SPAM, video games, target shooting, etc).

26) You give the best hugs, kisses, and cuddles.

27) You always make me feel beautiful.

28) You encourage me in my endeavors to be better than I am.

29) You stand by my side, support, and defend me.

30) You make me incredibly happy.


Those are just 30 reasons why I love you. I'm sure I can come up with 100 reasons. I guess you'll just have to wait for your 100th birthday for that list. ;)