OH Lordy, Nick is 40!

On valentine's day, my dear love turned forty. Holy smokes... that is old!! How in the world did that happen? Time is flying by before our eyes and I can't believe that here we are in 2011 and we have 3 kids, a mortgage, a 10 year old marriage and that my husband is 40! I can still remember that the year I met Nick, he was 25... I thought that seemed SO OLD. I actually remember telling my roommate at camp that year, "I'd marry him, except he is too old!" Well, age must be relative, because here we are - Nick is 40 and at this point, 25 seems soooo young!

I am someone who thinks that ALL birthdays are a big deal, so the idea of a 40th birthday is a really big deal! Nick has never thought that birthdays are any big deal and enjoys having fun (notice I didn't say "making fun") of how much I like to celebrate birthdays! This year, I knew that I would never be able to convince him to have a party, but I thought that with turning 40 - he deserved one! Nick is an awesome husband, father and friend that I thought there would be lots of people that would enjoy celebrating with him and wishing him well on a good forty years. So... the planning of the surprise party began months ago. I knew that I would have to be top-notch in my surprise skills or he would tell me to cancel or abandon the idea if he caught onto anything.... Shortly after Christmas, I created the "secret" email address that all the planning would come from. nick40th@gmail.com became my party planner tool. With help from friends and family, I was able to pull off this event and truly surprise Nick.

The kids didn't know about the party until literally hours before the event (part of keeping it a surprise meant there was no way I could let them in on it!). They were at the party for the set-up, the big "surprise" and cake... but then were whisked off by Nannie and Poppy for a cozy sleepover. Below is a picture of Colin loving the cake!

The whole party had a beer theme. Nick, not only doesn't like making a big deal out of birthdays, but he wants little. Gift giving or receiving isn't something that has ever been something that has been important to him. He hates the idea of meaningless spending and would rather have consumable goods. So, as part of the party - I restricted gifts and told everyone to bring their favorite 6 pack of beer. Beer is something that I know he likes, he can drink and consume, it won't go to waste and may even help him in the woes of being 40!

I even ordered a cake to go along with the theme.

Nick and the kids shortly after the big "SURPRISE!"

Nick is my best friend and I look forward to spend another forty with him... just hope that he isn't in diapers for his surprise 80th.