Celebrating the Birthday Boy!!

So I've told you bits and pieces about Ryan's birthday, but I wanted to give you the FULL RECAP of the day. Since I wasn't part of his life on his 30th birthday, I wanted to make 35 really special. So I started working on it back in January...plotting ideas and making plans.

First order of business was to send out a huge pile of emails to some of his friends and co-workers asking if they'd be willing to sneak me a birthday card or note for him. I was hoping to wind up with 35 of them to give him one a day for 35 days leading up to his birthday, but people were much more willing to participate than I anticipated, and I ended up with over 40 cards! So for about six weeks leading up to his birthday, he got to open a card every morning before work.

I gotta tell you...it blessed me to read what people wrote about him and the memories they had...and how his presence, diligence and encouragement had blessed their lives.

When we arrived at the actual birthday, we got up early {work morning...boooooo....} and I gave him his gift.

He had NO idea what was inside that box. I was so stinkin' excited for him to open it because even though I had a thousand reservations about the gift, I so hoped he would love it.

He opened the box and saw three papers inside and said, "You know how these kind of presents confuse me." Ha! Yes, I do. {When I gave him a paper at Christmas explaining his pending trip to a Pentatonix concert, he thought it was a pregnancy announcement! HA! No no no!!!}

He read page one....and then page two....and then....realization.

The gift?

A spot on a whitewater rafting trip with his buddies. {And ziplining. He wanted me to be sure to mention that point.}

People.

PEOPLE.

1/3 of this gift was the trip. 2/3 of this gift was me overcoming my vehement opposition to being separated AND to Ryan participating in dangerous activities.

And I loved it that he knew that. I loved it that he was as excited about the fact that I was being a big girl and being willing to let him go as he was about the trip itself. That made it all worth it to me.

We've not yet approached that first big, bad night apart, and if I had my way, our first night apart would be our first night together in Heaven. But I also knew how much he really wanted to go on this trip when he heard about it, and he just didn't think it was possible on a variety of levels.

I really am excited for him. I am. I'm even MORE excited because one of his good friends is now going to join him on the trip. {Or maybe I'll just sit around and worry twice as much. It could go either way.}

But the bottom line was, I'm glad he loved it. I really am.

And Braeya was just glad for tape. She eats it.

I packed up his lunch, which was cheesy tortellini that I cooked all night long in the crock pot. And I made Buckeye brownies for him to take to work for his friends. :)

We said our sad goodbyes for the day....

...and when he got to work, his co-workers had a whole new celebration for him! His co-worker Diane made him one of his favorites: breakfast casserole!

And his co-worker Amanda made a butter cake {had some of that - it was so good!!!}

After work, Ryan's mom met us for dinner at the restaurant of his choosing...Buffalo Wild Wings. :) He got a burger - and it was HUGE!

We planned to go see Heaven is for Real that night but we didn't have enough time after dinner to get there before the movie started, so we opted for a stop by Starbucks and then...the Pacers game. :)

He said it was a great birthday - and I know I sure had fun celebrating him! :)