Best birthday ever!

We don’t normally do very much for our birthdays … maybe go out for dinner, but that’s usually it.  This year was especially nice.  I’m wondering if everyone got the year wrong and thought this was the big 4-0, but I’m still a couple years shy of that milestone.  Whatever the reason, it was a very nice surprise!

It started the night before, when I checked our mailbox and found not 1 but 2 cards in the mail!  We rarely get mail here … and people have to really plan ahead to get birthday cards to us in time (it takes a couple of weeks to get mail from the states).  The first card was from my parents … handmade by mom of course.  The second was from my in-laws.  A very rare treat as they don’t often send cards and it held a very sweet sentiment.  I love my family!

On my birthday, I got to sleep in while the boys made me breakfast in bed – waffles with strawberries and blueberries on top.  Ken gave me THE COOLEST necklace!!  It has 2 heart shaped charms – one for each of the boys – with their name and fingerprint engraved on it.  The back side has their age engraved.  I love it!!!

 Of course, in typical Ken fashion, it’s not just a beautiful gift, but a sample of what he would like for me to launch as a side business!  I love his entrepreneurial spirit and I’m sure he wishes I had just a fraction of his passion for starting my own business.  This would be cool to do, so I’ll have to at least check it out … maybe you can order from me in the future!  :-)

To top it all off, we got a babysitter and Ken took me to see the show Stomp.  The show was AMAZING!!!!  So much talent and creativity!!  They play the most amazing music with everything from broomsticks to matchsticks to trash cans and paint buckets to newspaper and plastic trash bags!!  I wasn’t expecting humor and audience participation as well!!  If you ever get the chance to see this show – you should!!  

Of course, not everything was perfect for my birthday … we had a terrible sand storm and it felt like you were eating dust when you walked outside (which you most certainly were). There was a ridiculously thick layer of sand on everything outside by the end of the day, so time to spray everything down today.  :-( 

Dinner was also very funny – we don’t always have the best luck with restaurants in Doha.  For our anniversary last year, we went to dinner and a movie, but we couldn’t find a restaurant for the life of us and we ended up eating chocolate fondue for dinner.  I tease Ken that after 8 years of marriage, I don’t even get a proper dinner to celebrate!  Last night was almost as funny … we tried a new restaurant in one of the malls, but they didn’t have many tables left, so we literally sat in the main hallway of the mall.  I felt rather exposed.  I tried the vegetarian option from the menu, but it wasn’t exactly plated the way it was described on the menu.  The menu made it sound like a veggie platter … turned out to be a mashed potato sandwich!  Really??  Can’t say I’ve ever had a mashed potato sandwich before!!  I can check that off my list.  It wasn’t terrible – it actually had a lot of flavor and seasoning, but I can’t say I need carbs on carbs!

All things considered, it was still one really great birthday – maybe even the best birthday ever!  I’m so spoiled – thanks to my boys!!