Birthday Boy

Of all the random blogs I have come across while blog surfing, there is only one I read regularly. A Backwards Attraction by a girl named Liz. She is a great writer and I feel like I know her, even though she knows nothing about me (I did make a comment once, but that hardly counts). A few months ago, she wrote a post for her husband's birthday, about what she would do for him if she could give him the perfect birthday. I loved it, and I am totally "borrowing" her idea, but am giving her credit for it.

Saturday was Jeff's birthday. We were on our way home from Arches National Park, where we had spent the last two days, and I asked him, "Is this the way you would choose to spend your birthday?," sort of joking. He answered seriously, "yes." He has never been one to want to celebrate much, especially when it's his birthday, but I have a hard time just letting it go without much notice. So, for you Jeff, here is what I would give you if I could give you the perfect birthday.

We'd wake up early, before sunrise, in some exotic location, like the Dominican Republic. We would visit somewhere amazing, and be the only two people for miles around. You, of course, would take fabulous photos of our surroundings, and you wouldn't have to fight anyone else for the best possible spot. We'd spend the rest of the morning exploring, and I would never get bored while you rambled off every historical fact you know about our destinations.

After lunch, we would magically be transported back home, where we would find that Ty and the gang had built our dream home, free of charge, and moved all of our things in for us. There would be a sweet new SUV in the garage, one that doesn't need any gasoline at all, but can still go 80 miles an hour on the freeway. After drooling over that fora while, we would spend a couple of hours with the kids. They would all be perfectly well-behaved; Damon would be your willing buddy in any hike you had planned, Allie would entertain us with a hilarious story, and Kyla would magically forget the word "no," and instead, constantly say, "sure" with a huge smile on her face.

After that, we would leave the kids and again be transported to Phoenix, where you would reunite with your 259 buddies. You boys would have several hours to catch up(time has no relevance in perfect birthday world), and you wouldn't lose any rounds of the Dice Game. We'd all enjoy a nice, free dinner (also there is no money needed in perfect birthday world) of steak, lobster and king crab, and we would still have room for dessert (a selection of the world's finest fruit pies for you, something with peanut butter and chocolate for me).

After dinner, we would sit courtside as the Suns won the NBA championship, and would join in the celebration. It wouldn't last long, though, as we would have to make our way to another arena, where 259 would be the opening act at a U2 concert, which you would watch backstage, only feet away from Bono. You would have time to enjoy all your favorite songs before we were suddenly whisked away to Wrigley Field in Chicago, where we would watch the Cubs win the World Series for the first time in nearly 100 years. We would also enjoy a deep dish pizza from Gino's, suddenly finding that we were hungry again. Immediately following the game we would be transported again to the BCS national championship game, where BYU would win their first national championship since 1984.

If you hadn't collapsed with excitement, we would finish the night at a swanky resort in Mexico, where a hot tub, a bikini, and a pair of scissors were waiting for us. Then we would fall asleep in a perfect bed, knowing you would have the best night's sleep you had ever had. And I wouldn't even make you snuggle with me. When you woke in the morning, it would be a little sad, knowing that your perfect day was over, but there would be one last surprise waiting for us when we got back home to our brand new house. There would be a new cell phone tower in Springville, and you would be able to receive calls on your iPhone.

Happy birthday Jeff! I can't promise I can ever give you your perfect day, but as I was writing this, I couldn't help but feel grateful that so much of what you love includes me.