A happy birthday

It was kind of a perfect day.  There was a great mix of time alone and time with Adam and time with our children (although not quite enough time with Braeden because he had to work).

My one request for the day was breakfast at Kneaders.  I had heard about their French toast and wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.

It did.

Then, we went to IFA for weed killer.  I grew up going to IFA (Intermountain Farmers Association).  It smells the same as it always did.  Adam perused weed killer while Mark and I looked at the baby chicks and ducklings.  They reminded me of when we got chicks and ducklings from the IFA in Elko when I was growing up.  (They were cute and fuzzy and then grew up to be ugly and unloved.  Then they all died, either accidentally or not entirely accidentally.)

We didn't buy any of the cute chicks or ducklings.  I think I have PTSD when it comes to animals.

There were rabbits in a cage.  Mark said, "Mom, I don't even want to tell you what those little black things are in the bottom of the cage."

I appreciated him preserving my innocence.

For the past probably five years, Adam has been going to get a new grill for his birthday and then for Father's Day because he wouldn't commit to one for his birthday.  He is a stubborn man.  He doesn't like to spend money on himself.  (Thankfully he doesn't have the same problem spending money on me...)

We left the old decaying and rusted grill behind when we moved, so this birthday, he NEEDS to get a new one.  No more Mrs. Nice Wife.  I mean business.  The night before our birthday he said, "I might wait until Father's Day."

Don't worry though.  I've got this.  He is getting a grill soon, if it kills me.  And it might.

We went to look at Home Depot and Lowe's.  While we looked at grills, Mark sat on ride on lawn mowers, considering the options.  Last summer Mark and Braeden mowed the lawn together, they'd each do a part. He sees a future with his big brother gone though and he is already campaigning for a better option than an aging push mower.

(To which I have to say, good luck Mark.)

We came home and Adam did various chores around the house and I re thought my wardrobe.  I'll have to save that for another post though.  It was a Thing.

We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner, sans Braeden (sniff) and I didn't get French toast like I usually do, because I'd had it for breakfast.  Mark did get French toast again for dinner because it is that good.

The day was otherwise filled with phone calls, text messages, Facebook birthday wishes and emails from people I love.  What a nice world it is.  (I won't say I have favorites, but one niece and one nephew texted me birthday wishes...)

One new fledgling friend even brought me over a cupcake.  She doesn't know me that well and she worried I didn't like chocolate or eat sugar, but she took a risk.  Ha.  Ha ha.

And it was a really good cupcake.

I also want to remember my gifts from my family.  The ways they showed me they love me.

Adam bought me this:

It is the patio furniture I exactly wanted.  I told Adam that I may never leave the deck.  (On Saturday we borrowed Ammon and Melanee's truck to transport it from the store and then Olivia and Liliana helped us haul it to the deck.  I am not above making people work if they are in the vicinity.)

Come over and sit with me and enjoy the view.

Braeden bought me a rocking chair from Cracker Barrel.  I can't explain about our family and Cracker Barrel.  We have an unreasonable attachment.  I think because we ate there so much on our big trip a few summers ago.  It's our happy place.  It's so kitschy and comforting.

Braeden enlisted Alyse's help (because she has a truck) to get the chair.  Then he texted Adam.

Braeden: I've made a huge mistake. Nobody told me the rocking chairs are 150 FREAKING DOLLARS!

Adam:  You should have asked Mr. Internet.

Braeden: That's what Alyse said.

Adam: Go ahead and buy the chair.  I'll pay part of it.

Braeden: Yeah, that's what I figured.

He is a turkey.  But his heart is always in the right place.  And I love my new rocking chair.

Emma was bound and determined to get me a great gift.  She's been asking for months for gift ideas.  I told her I wanted three 8-inch cake pans.  And they had them at Hobby Lobby.  They aren't readily available, that's one of the few places I've found them.  When Adam took Emma there, they were out.  They went to half a dozen stores and no one else had them.  Emma instead bought me two enormous bags of M & Ms, one pretzel and one peanut (my favorites and she knows it).  She said that she will still be getting the 8 inch pans.  And I believe her.  She gets committed.

I told Mark I wanted a letter.  From him.  He wrote a note to me and one to Adam on the same piece of paper.  One was upside down from the other.  He's all about going green.  He also made me this necklace.

He saw an employee at the Lego store with a similar necklace awhile ago and he immediately knew which pieces he needed to recreate it.  And he, of course, had the pieces in stock.  I love it.  Mark often gives me gifts built of Lego bricks and I eventually return the pieces to him.  I may not return these though.

Today I feel loved.  I feel rejuvenated.  And I feel like I have a lot of work to do because I did nothing yesterday.