Surprised

This Wednesday was my birthday. Leading up to it I wasn't all that thrilled with yet another birthday and turning 36 seemed like nothing special. As it turned out, this birthday was one of my favorites. It started last week when Erin surprised me with my very first Ipod. I had heard of such a magical invention but I am technologically unsavvy. One week and 700 songs later I love how much fun it is.

Tuesday night my parents took me out for dinner. Jake, Dave and Vince joined us as well. The food was good and I really like it when the whole family is together. Logan's steakhouse by the way has incredible deals as I think we all ate for less than $60. My parents got me some new cooking utensils which seems kind of practical yet I was thrilled to get them. It must be a sign of getting old.

Wednesday began with a call from my Grandpa and it was a great way to start the day. Then my coworker Derek's wife baked me a cake and I had several people stop by to wish me happy birthday or more likely to grab a slice of the cake. I also had tons of happy birthday posts on my facebook page which reminded me of just how many friends I have.

That night Erin took me out for Sushi. We sat on the floor and had to take our shoes off which was cool. The sushi was good and we experimented with several new types. Most of our experiments were successful and it felt hip to be sitting on the floor of a sushi bar.

If my birthday had stopped there I would have been very happy. But unknown to me Erin had been planning a surprise party for months. We went to our friends Sam and Carrie's for what I thought was a small get together after dinner. I was instead surprised with a large group of my friends and family. It was great to see the people who are important to my life gathered in one place. It was even better to realize just how lucky I am to have a woman in my life who would organize the party. I thought that the Ipod was my favorite gift but just having Erin in my life is the best gift of all.