Birthday #29 Recap

Thank you to everyone who helped make my 29th birthday the best birthday EVER! Seriously folks, it was wonderful. I loved it and I'm totally stoked to be 29. I can only hope my 30th birthday next year can compare.

From birthday cards in the mail to messages on Facebook, to phone calls and emails, I felt like one special birthday girl indeed. I even got my own special birthday dedication on this here blog. Wow! Normally, the big disadvantage to having a birthday so near the holidays is that everyone else is so involved with their own holiday plans that birthday celebrations tend to get overshadowed. This is usually why I don't expect much from my birthday nor do I get upset when people just forget (I mean, hello? Two days before Christmas means most people are busy going on vacation). But this year more than made up for lackluster birthdays in years past. And here's why...

A few months back when Will asked me what I wanted for my birthday I had a hard time coming up with anything good. All I really, really wanted was a little peace and quiet. Wow, does that make me sound old? But truthfully, I just wanted a little time to myself when no one would be calling out, "Mommy!", when I wouldn't be responsible for potty duty or nap time or lunch time. When I could wander around a store at my leisure and get in and out of the car all by myself. Please don't misunderstand me. I love my children. They are awesome! And I love that I get to stay home with them. But for me, the greatest birthday present Will could've given me was some time to myself for me to be simply Natalie. Not Mommy or Will's wife or anyone else. Just me.

So unbeknownst to me Will set up an incredible birthday present for me. It was on the 20th, so the Saturday before my birthday. First, he made me a desperately needed hair appointment here:


For all of you who are unfamiliar, that's Salon 124 which is a very nice salon. I should've taken a picture of the front entrance, but I wanted to act my age and not my shoe size. Just the drive over to the salon was great. In the car. By myself. Radio up as loud as I wanted it. No one fussing. No one wanting to listen to kid songs. I even heard "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. If that's not an omen for a good day, then I'm not sure what is.

I was a little early for my appointment, so I got to kill time by reading celebrity trash magazines. What better way to wait than to get my scoop on what's going on in Hollywood with actual stars and wanna be's like Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag (Did you know that they're not going to legitimize their marriage in the U.S.? And trust me, I learned more pearls than that...). Kassie finally called me back and she did a bang up job. Didn't really cut a lot of length, but simply gave me a much better cut with a whole bunch of texturizing. It was heavenly.

Afterwards I discovered that Will had made pedicure appointments for me, Paula and our fabulous friend, Wendy. We headed off to the mall for our pedicures which were fantastic. I've said before that I love me a good, relaxing pedicure and this one did not disappoint. It was great!

By this time I'd spent a whopping FIVE hours without children, but the fun didn't stop there. Will also made a dinner reservation for us at... P.F. Chang's!

Dinner with girlfriends! Being able to talk in complete sentences! Not having to ask for a highchair or a kid's menu! Not worrying about making a mess on the floor! Taking our time to eat! All simple things in their own right, but put it all together in one evening and that makes for a pretty awesome experience. The food was scrumptious. All of it. It was great. As and added bonus by the time I got home Juliana was already in bed and Everett was headed that way. Oh yeah!

All in all, an amazing birthday planned by one awesome husband. It was a day I will not soon forget. I felt amazing. In fact, I think 29 is going to be my best year yet. Thank you Will!