Monday, November 29, 2010

Marriage Mondays: Let's Celebrate!


Hello dear Bloggy friends!!

Today I am thrilled to join my dear friend Julie from Come Have A Peace for Marriage Mondays!

Yesterday was a special day for our family. It was my husband John's 40th birthday!! Woo Hoo!

After my amazing 40th birthday roller skating party earlier this year, I wanted to coordinate a party for John where he felt as celebrated as I did for my 40th.

However, I have learned over the past 10 years of marriage, that there are different "party languages".

Whereas I love family, the more friends the merrier, decorations big and bright, encouraging words, and tons of fun ~ John prefers family, a few friends, and special, meaningful conversations.

My hope and goal was to coordinate a party (actually a whole day) not just like I would want...but a celebration that would serve John well and help create a birthday he would never forget!

We started off by going to the JW Marriott's six*one*six restaurant for a special brunch (John's favorite brunch place in the whole wide world!). We were joined by John's parents, grandma, brother and his fiance. It was a perfect birthday morning! :)



John getting a little help from our girls Sarah & Manda...



After brunch, our family headed out to find the perfect Christmas tree. John has enjoyed cutting down a Christmas tree since he was a little boy, so it was the perfect way to spend a birthday afternoon together.


We found our tree! I love this picture of my son Jake carrying the tree, with our other kids trailing behind him! Special memories! :)



Lastly, we ended the day with a special 40th birthday celebration in our home. I asked our family/friends to bring 40 of something for John (thanks for the great idea, Erin!). It worked out great!

John received....40 pennies from our little Sarah (who just lost another front tooth yesterday!)


40 gift cards to Lowe's (from his brother Jim)...



40 dollars from my mom and dad....


PLUS 40 packs of hot chocolate, 40 gummy bears, 40 kisses (from guess who?? ~ smile!), 40 dollars to our favorite family-friendly restaurant, 40 Milk Duds, and $40 in gas gift cards. What fun!

And last, but not least, here is a picture of the birthday boy with his mom (my mom-in-love Jackie!) sharing in our traditional "birthday toast" with non-alcoholic sparkling juice.


Happy Birthday, John! :) It was a joy to celebrate you...and I loved at the end of the day when you shared it was one of your best birthday's ever. Woo Hoo!!

What about for you, dear bloggy friend...what's your "party language"? What have you learned about celebrating your husband/wife? I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*! May your week be filled with much joy, love, and CELEBRATION!!

7 comments:

Andrea said...

Happy Birthday John!

Tami Grandi said...

LOVED reading about this- how fun- and how awesome that you know your husband so well to know what he will enjoy most. I look forward to that day!

Nana's Nuggets said...

Hi! Cindy, What fun! and that little 40 somethings were the cutest! Love It! and how about celebrations?... My family gave me a surprize BD Party Sat. night, its not until Wed. but they thought go ahead and do it since Dec. is so busy! I got some cute things, plus a chocolate pie, and a birthday cake! Oh! Yeah! Will share the pics on Wed. Have a great week, and HB to your Hubby:)

Stephanie said...

GREAT ideas!! gonna tuck those away for down the road! thanks for sharing.

love how well you love your man. :)

Mindy said...

Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving such an encouraging comment. I so appreciate your time!

My husband doesn't want or need gifts at all. He wouldn't even care if he didn't get anything at all, although we always try to find something appropriate. He LOVES homemade cards and any words of affirmation inside. So, we all have learned to make homemade cards for our dear Daddy.

You know you're aging when you look at 40 and think, "Man, he's young!" :)

Teri Lynne Underwood said...

Cindy, I love this! My husband will be turning 40 next year and I've been trying to think of some great ideas for celebrating ... love the gifts of 40!!

You are such an encourager!

Julie@comehaveapeace said...

Oh what fun you had! We are talking about our party languages, because we are all planning in different ways for New Year's Eve. :) And , as you know ..... it will also be our sweet JoHanna's 16th bday. Whatever it turns out to look like, I have a feeling it will be a great celebration!

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