Happy Birthday Steve

Birthdays are a big deal in the Golden household. It's the one day out of the year that's all about you. Growing up, not only did you get to pick the flavor of cake or pie you got on your birthday, but you got gifts and the dinner of your choice too!

When Steve and I first got together, Steve hated birthdays. And when I say hate, I mean hate. It made me so sad and try as I might, he never chagned his demeanor-he hated birthdays and that's all their was to it.

The year we got married though, he started to soften up a little bit about the whole thing. By the next year, when he turned 41-he was ALL about birthdays!! I'm not sure what changed his mind so quickly, except I'm thinking it had something to do with the fact that he now had a family to celebrate with.

Anyways-

Today Steve turned 44 years old.

EEEEKKK!!!!! (only joking!)

All week long I told Steve that my parents had the best birthday present for him. And all week long he'd ask for hints. Or he'd ask if I was going to tell him. All week long, I toyed with him some more and teased him that I knew and he didn't. I even told him Friday that I thought their gift would arrive sometime that day. He was so excited to think he'd finally get to see his gift!!!

Little did he know........................

Our doorbell rang at 9:00 Friday night. The look on Steve's face was priceless. He got up and went to answer the door. I heard him flip on the light, flip it off and say "It's your folks!" I heard Mom say "Your birthday present is here!"

My parents had decided to come down and surprise him for his birthday weekend!!! And the best part-he loves, loves, loves my parents, so he was thrilled to death to see them and have them here!

So Mom and Dad hung out with us this weekend.

Saturday we got up and I fixed a big breakfast-biscuits and gravy, hash browns and scrambled eggs. We got around and cleaned up and then headed down to Alma to a surplus store called A to Z, which is about an hour away.

That night I fixed the Birthday Boy his requested dinner: chicken enchilada's, cornbread and homemade corn chips. I was going to fix some white cheese dip but the white cheese I bought at the store wouldn't melt (it was a new to me kind-should have stuck with my regular!) so we ended up pitching it. I was bummed about it, but no one else seemed to be.

Mom made Steve a homemade Coconut Cream pie and I made Dad and Tanner a homemade Cherry pie. Steve was too full from dinner to eat a piece of his pie, but Dad, Tanner, Mom and I chowed on us some cherry pie!!

Today we had a lazy Sunday morning. We slept in and then took our time getting around. It was a cool, rainy morning and it was so nice to just sit at the kitchen table and enjoy coffee and conversation with Mom and Dad. They left around 10:00 to head back to Kansas City. Tanner and I started in on our weekend chores and Steve relaxed.

Steve couldn't decide what he wanted for his birthday-a charcoal smoker or a table saw. Well yesterday, I told him we'd just get both. I mean really, why not? It's his birthday for goodness to sake!!

We ran to Lowe's and Home Depot this afternoon and were more than pleasantly surprised to get his table saw and his smoker both!! He was like a kid at Christmas!! Funny boy! He put those together this afternoon and next weekend-we are cranking up the smoker-I can't wait!

I'm so very glad that my hubby has come to love birthdays as much as we have. I'm so thankful he's finally learned to enjoy HIS day! We've had a great weekend and suffice it to say, Steve's had a GREAT birthday.

STEVE: Words can't express what your love means to me. I love the way you take care of Tanner and I and the way you love not just us, but our entire family. I'm so thankful that 44 years ago today, God put you on this earth and that 40 years later, our paths crossed. I can't wait to see what the next 40 years holds!

Happy Birthday!!!