This is 36

Photo: Copyright House of Kosi

Yes, I shared my age.

No, it doesn’t bother me – obviously.

Yes, my birthday is a national holiday in our household.

Yes, I make my husband take the day off to celebrate me (as he should haha).

No, he does not like birthdays.

Yes, he humors me. He likes to follow the happy wife, happy life philosophy. Smart guy.

Now that that’s all out of the way, here’s a recap of my birthday last week.

I have always loved my birthday. In general, I am not a fan of attention and feel like I’m fairly socially awkward. But on my birthday, it’s different. I think the urgency to celebrate is more tangible now with everything I’ve been through. When you deal with chronic health issues over time and face your mortality, celebrating another trip around the sun is simply a requirement in my opinion. Maybe that’s just me, but I’m so dang thankful for every year I have. I know it’s not guaranteed. PLUS, I mean…I grew, birthed and nourished a baby this year – an incredible one at that. That deserves celebrating.

A couple of weeks ago I asked my husband if he was taking my birthday off – more to confirm than to ask (see above). Lol He said yes and that he had a surprise planned. Who are you?! Just kidding. I was blown away but also super curious. Every time he mentioned my birthday I’d sneak in a, “What are we doing?” He didn’t slip, though.

We had an hour drive and until the last minute I had no idea what we were doing. Wait, I should mention that next to my birthday, Christmas is my all-time favorite. I just love all of it. I affectionately call my husband the Grinch because he despises it. Are you noticing a theme here? We even have a Festivus for the Rest of Us sign (Seinfeld reference) as part of our holiday décor.

We arrived at a furniture store. Odd, but then I saw a sign for The Enchanted Village. I had no idea what it was but I knew it was Christmas-themed and we were enjoying it as a family on my birthday. What could be better?

The Enchanted Village is a New England staple that started decades ago thanks to a local department store. When my husband was little, his Mom would keep him out of school to visit. This furniture store took it over. And my goodness, it is incredible. Holiday family photos, Christmas displays, light show, Polar Express ride in 4D, ice skating and photos with Santa.

Photo: Copyright House of Kosi

The little guy met the big guy for the first time and you’d think they’d known each other forever. For every other child, they had to make a concerted effort to get them to laugh or even look at the camera, and not cry. Callan? He loved every moment. And Santa did too, apparently, because he spent extra time with him and told the other kids to wait because, “We’re hanging out.” These photos are just classic Callan, and something we’ll always treasure.

Photo: Copyright House of Kosi

A big thank you to my hubby for planning this incredible birthday surprise for me and for us as a family. It’s absolutely going to become a tradition for us. Happy Birthday to me, indeed.