30th birthday re-cap

If I were to have a business card made it would read:
Annie Smith: Wife. Mother. Yoga teacher.

If my husband had a business card made it would read:
Joseph Smith: Husband. Father. Wish fulfilment expert.

I'll get to that in a second.

I decided that since my birthday fell on a Tuesday that we would celebrate on the Saturday before so Joe wouldn't have to take off work and Devon and I could essentially stick to our Tuesday routine. Saturday morning we went out for breakfast then Joe watched Devon and sent me on my favorite type of shopping spree .... shopping by myself. To me, it is the best way to go. No one rushing me, I'm not waiting for anyone else, I take my time and when I'm done I'm done. I went to the greatest place to shop in Tucson .... La Encantada. It is outdoors and beautiful and I love it there.

I haven't had new sun glasses in literally 4 years. I remember because I got my last pair 4 birthdays ago. I was due for a new pair. Say hello to Versace.

Then I went to Anthropologie and picked up a couple of tops and a super cute head band. I'm not one for head bands, but I really thought that I could pull this one off so I scooped it up.

I also got some grape seed body oil from L'loccitane.

After shopping I picked up a Greek salad from my favorite Greek restaurant and then on to my hair appointment for a cut and highlights. I love getting my hair done .... it's so relaxing.

I went home after that and we hung out together for a couple of hours before heading off to dinner. But before dinner Joe gave me my BIG 30th Birthday gift. He has been dropping hints all week and making me guess what the gift is .... a game I hate to play because I could either likely guess what it is and ruin everything or guess wildly above what he got and make him feel bad about it. It's a risky game that he insits we play every year.

He put my gift in the study and when I walked in I saw this ....

A cello.

SIDEBAR: When I was in elementary school I asked to play the cello. Since I rode the bus to and from school my parents were worried about me having to haul it on and off the bus so I selected the violin. (I confirmed this story with my Mom a few days ago so I'm not making this up for dramatics ;) It was a big joke in the house about how bad I was at playing the violin and before I hit high school I gave it up.

A few months before I had Devon I toyed with the idea of playing the cello. I think it was my way of panicking about all the changes that were about to happen so I was grasping at something to call my own. I researched renting one and taking lessons. I even got the name and number of a teacher and to this day I've kept her number in my wallet in hopes of someday starting up, but I never felt that it was something to start with Devon being so little and time being so scarce.

Joe understands me .... he really does. He gets it. He understands that I need to be creative and musical and do something that is fulfilling in a way that is different from being a good Mom, cooking a good meal and keeping the house clean. He really listens when I speak (even if I don't always think so ;)and he pays attention. He indulges me when I relay mindless stories about so-and-so's crazy kid, about the grocery bill or about the coolest insulated sippy cups that I found on Amazon. He listens to it all and files it away in his elephant memory. When he decided to get me a gift for a milestone birthday he decided to get me a gift that would impact the rest of my life. Not many people know how to do that, but when it happens it's... magical.

I just remember walking in to the study and saying,"Ohmygosh .... you got me a cello?" And then I started crying and blubbering,"I can't believe you got me a cello. I have wanted to play since I was a kid." It was a moment for me for sure. I start lessons in 2 weeks and Joe enthusiastically chimes in with,"And don't worry .... I'll watch Devon so you can go any time and practice." It is always salient to me that I am so lucky to have true love in my life.

Once the sitter arrived we went to Zin Burger. A fancy burger place that serves truffle french fries and creme brule milk shakes. It's not as expensive as it sounds and it is really good. I always get a turkey burger with avocado, Swiss cheese and bacon. We split the fries and the shake (which we never get) and it was amazing.

I honestly don't really mind turning 30. I have always said that I am exactly where I want to be in life so turning another year older doesn't bother me much. It does remind me that time is flying by and time on this Earth is scarce and THAT makes me sad, but I try not to dwell on it. I did have a dream that night that I some woman tried to sell me eye cream so I promptly went out and bought some to put on my 30 year old face ;)