That time of year.

For those of you that don't know, it's Jeff's birthday tomorrow.  (The 6th-- Just in case this gets posted after 1:00 a.m. and I am made to look like an even bigger liar than it I already am).  Turns out, he is currently sick.  Some kind of cold that the kids have as well, and I am feeling the back-of-the- throat tickle, complete with runny nose, so I'm sure that one of these days I'll be able to say I'm sick, as well...Fingers crossed, right?  Yeah.
Anyway, I've already tapped my "making-Jeff-happy-cause-he-deserves-a-great-birthday-sources".  Some, repeatedly.  :)
So maybe I can tell him how great he is, how in love with him I am, how fantastic a father he is to my babies....and the list goes on and on, in this post.  I'll give it a whirl.  
I'd mentioned in my last post (and fyi?  There is SO much I need to tell you all, but it will have to wait until next time, as this post is supposed to be all about Jeff...so back on topic), that Jeff and I were going on a weekend getaway.  Two days of just the two of us.  I had reserved a room for a couple of nights in Park City.  I didn't think we could go any further away...Jeff and I haven't been away from the kids in eight years.  I could say nine, because the last time we went away I wasn't pregnant with Cole, yet.  Believe it or not the thought was really blissful, but the actuality of doing it?  Pretty scary.
I know I said this on Facebook, but I don't think the true sentiment is there.  Jeff and I wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for Muff and Chris.  I know that seems a bit extreme, but anyone that has kids knows it a huge deal to find someone to watch them.  Someone that you can implicitly trust, and preferably, have a sense of love there that resembles your own.  They were so great to leave their house, come to ours and not disrupt our kids anymore than we already were.  Anyway, as this is Jeff's post, I'll just say a huge THANKS SO MUCH to them, once again, and continue with my story.
It was a surprise.  Not the getaway, but the location.  And I'm actually shocked that it remained so, because Jeff is rather nosey.  I mean, if I have a gift, or if I buy something new, or if I try to be sneaky in any way, he finds out.  He says it's because I'm a terrible liar/hider.  But I say it's because he decides he just needs to "look around" for some reason around holidays, birthdays, or any other date of special recognition.  Or maybe it's because he has three spies that tell on me for absolutely EVERYTHING.  In either case, it's hard to hide stuff.  And, after being with Jeff for so long...there's only so much you can hide in any situation, otherwise he freaks out about it.  It's like someone that HAS to test the water for about two hours before getting in.  There's no way he'd go for a swim without the proper time for adjustment.  And this is how any change in life is, for Jeff.  He's got to get used to the idea, envision himself doing it, have days to consider the possibilities, and tell himself it's a good thing.   If I would have bombarded him with the information and told him that day that we were taking off?  I wouldn't have gotten him out the door.  It's stuff like this that has taken me years to figure out.  
Anyway, after a late start on Friday evening...because some guy showed up and tried to sell Jeff meat, (hilarious, right?), we were off.  I told him where to drive, and then he figured out Park City after we went through Heber.  

This is what I was most excited about.  Jeff loves baths.  I'm not a fan, really...I feel like I waste time if I take one.  However, this was an all-about-Jeff weekend, so I hoped he'd be happy with it.  He was.  

The first couple hours were kind of awkward.  How long has it been since we both got to decide solely on what WE wanted to do?  So long we sorta forgot how.   We decided we were hungry.  And chose a place to eat NOT for their kid's meals.  It was fancy living.  We chose RedRock Pub--it was quite close and so not our usual, so it was nice.  However, I made a mistake in ordering:

Minestrone sounded like a good idea at the time.  But the funny thing about this soup is, it looks exactly the same way coming back out.  I won't tell you how I know this, but trust me.  Something that I'd always wanted to try was fried green tomatoes.  And they had them there, and they were way good.  Also, my stomach has absolutely no beef with fried foods.  Just keeping it real, folks. And Jeff ordered, wait for it....a turkey sandwich!  However, he informed me that the fact it had cranberries on it was him stepping WAY out of his comfort zone.  I was proud.

The next day was Jeff's choice of movies.  He had it all planned out and scheduled when and what we would see.  However, we slept in until 2:00 in the afternoon.  When I woke up, I had a text from Muffy from five hours earlier saying that she had made all my kids breakfast...homemade chocolate chip pancakes complete with whipped cream.  I kinda worried that Riley, Cole, and Syd would never want us to come back home....but only for a while.  It was time to get dressed and do some shopping, (my choice), and then watch movies, (Jeff's choice).  
This was my big purchase:  

I was all about Jeff this trip, for sure.  But sometimes, when I see something I absolutely love, I gotta be about me, too.  Also, my bag doesn't need to double as a baby's carry-all anymore, so I was looking to downsize.  That's what I told myself, and that's what I'm sticking to.  
We then went to the movie Sucker Punch.  I will say right now that it is every nerd's fantasy wrapped up in one..complete with beautiful colors and fishnet combat wear.  However, it was a really great flick.  I enjoyed it, and the cheese it totally got away with, just because it was done so well.  I'm glad that Jeff wanted to see this movie with me--I really thought he'd save it for his upcoming guys-movie-night-out.  And I was more than fine with that.  But now that I've seen it, I have to admit it was awesome in the theater.  Perhaps I'm a bit of a nerd myself, but that's like the most far-fetched option I can think of.  

We also watched Paul.  I have a very intense love for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost...and especially their collaborative productions.  So I was way excited for this.  However, it wasn't as great as I was hoping.  Yes, there was some funny stuff.  Unfortunately, it had what I like to call, "An Adam Sandler Movie Ending".  If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you may just enjoy it more than I did.  

Aside from that, we just enjoyed being together.  Only having to decide and do what WE felt like doing.  It was really nice, and I miss it, already.  I did miss the kids, too...a lot.  The curse of being a parent, I guess.  But my time with Jeff was and will be treasured.  I saw a facet of him that I haven't seen in a long time just due to responsibilities, and...life.  
So here's my mushy birthday message to my husband:  I love you.  I'm grateful that we've been together for a sufficient while, and you still make me laugh.  And laugh at me.  (And sometimes with me).  I'm grateful that we take the time to try to understand each other, even if it doesn't always happen.  But we do always respect each other, and that's something that you've taught me.  I still wake up happy that it's you that's next to me.  I still go to bed at night happy that you're the one I kiss goodnight.  You make me happy, and you've given me everything;  our children, a life that I love, and full control of the check book.  I still feel like I'm the happiest girl in the whole USA.  And that's cause of you.  I hope your birthday is excellent...even though you're sick, and we already had our weekend getaway.  Maybe I'll go nuts tomorrow and make you lunch...maybe I'll rub your feet. Who knows? 

 "Love makes you do the wacky". ;) And how could I not love that guy?
Happy Birthday!