Happy birthday!

Yesterday was Jaren's birthday! That old man turned 32 years old. :) When Jaren and I were first married, he told me how he didn't really care for birthdays. They just weren't a big deal to him. That was NOT the case in my family. The birthday boy or girl got special treatment on their big day which included but was not limited to their favorite breakfast, favorite dinner, cake and ice cream, and presents! I've tried to do this for Jaren every year we've been together but he just never seemed that excited about it. I think the last couple of years having fun kid themed birthday parties changed his mind. He commented a few weeks ago how sad he was that he wouldn't get to have a kid party this year because we don't have any kids or friends with kids in Texarkana. So I had to really try hard to make his birthday special.

Aside from his favorite meals, I made a birthday cake and got ice cream. I called his supervisor at work and asked if I could bring in the cake and ice cream as a surprise and share it with everyone in the office. At the specified time, I brought everything in and got it set up in the conference room where all of Jaren's co-workers were gathering. Jaren was told they were having a meeting at the last second so he showed up when everyone was there. He had no idea what was going on until he walked in and saw me and everyone started singing "Happy Birthday". He immediately made his way towards me with the biggest smile on his face I've ever seen. It was one of those sweet moments that you can see how genuinely happy and special that person feels. It made his day.

Later on we had his favorite dinner and sparkling cider before I left to Sweet Adelines rehearsal. I would have stayed but he was more than happy to spend some much needed time at home just doing whatever he wanted for a couple of hours. When I came home he was pretty tired so we read scriptures and I gave him a massage. It was completely innocent people. He just wanted his sore back and legs massaged (that's what happens whenever he takes the Army physical fitness test which he did last weekend). He was out like a light in no time.

I'm pretty sure he enjoyed his day. I asked him about whether or not he was starting to like birthdays and with a smile he said "they're growing on me." It only took 9 years!

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband!

Dancin' Fools

Jaren and I were lucky enough to be told we were driving our youth to Standards Night in Shreveport, LA (about an hour away) last night. Since the stake is so spread out, it's hard for them to have dances and stake youth activities very often. They decided to have a 6 hour event that started at 3:00 in the afternoon. This was the spiritual Standards Night portion. They then fed the kids "dinner" which the kids LOVED because it was a huge waffle bar that also included bacon and hash browns. Then the dance started...

I never really loved going to stake dances as a youth because they just weren't fun. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that felt that way. Well, last night was the most fun I have EVER had at a youth dance! I do think that was partly because I got to dance with my sweetie all night long! :) The leaders really made this a fun dance though. The DJ was awesome playing all current music with some exceptions like "YMCA" and "Cotton-Eye Joe" that are a youth dance tradition. I never really liked it when the DJ played a bunch of popular '80s songs at the dances.

Here are some of the things that made it really fun for the youth and leaders. A Wii was set up with Just Dance 3 and a large screen and projector. They had everyone participate dancing along for about 4-5 songs throughout the night. When the DJ played "All the Single Ladies", the stake president's wife threw out a bunch of ring pops. We had a couple of good swing songs, some hoedown and the thing the youth loved the most were the many, many line dances. The stake president's wife was up on stage leading the line dances or getting group dance activities going.

I was told by the stake YW president that at one dance they tied string across the room above the dance floor then held the end of a toilet paper roll and sent it flying over the string. The youth would then grab it and throw it back over creating this huge toilet paper canopy. The youth also toilet papered themselves and each other. If I am ever in a calling that has a say in the planning of youth dances, I will definitely use many of these ideas! Jaren and I were completely sweaty, out of breath and aching by the end of the night! Maybe next time there is a stake youth dance, we'll just volunteer to drive instead of being told. :)

The only downer was how late we got home after dropping youth off (11:00 pm) and how tired we were the next morning for church. It was worth it though!

Red Tails

This was a GREAT show! It was really clean too...albeit the war scenes that were inevitable in a war movie. If it weren't for that it would probably have been PG. I would definitely recommend this uplifting and inspiring movie to anyone!

Poor Use of My Time?

It's been awhile since Jaren has had to leave me for several days in a row. Almost 6 months! I've gotten so used to having him with me all the time (minus work) and I just love it. I can never get enough of him even after spending an entire 4 day weekend with just the two of us at home. I love that man!

Unfortunately, there are times, like now, when the Army takes him away for several days. This time it's only 5. Thanks goodness. The last time it was three weeks and I thought I would die before he came home! I know, it shouldn't be a big deal after going through a year deployment but ANYTIME he is gone is hard.

So, whenever he leaves I make sure the grocery shopping is done and I hole up in the house (apartment) with a pile of books to read. Some may consider this a poor use of my time. I could be doing all kinds of productive things but this seems to be the best remedy for the mopeyness that sets in when he's gone.

What would you do with your time?

What good books would you cuddle on the couch with?