Betsyface's birthday

Okay, so I threw this together between midnight and 2:00 a.m. the day before yesterday. Just call me "Uber-Prepared-Super-Mom." Cause that would be fitting.

Really. Fitting.

Don't worry; I plan on passing out the invitations AT the party.

So if you're reading this -- guess what -- you're invited! And I'm making tasty treats. So you might as well stop by for those. (In fact, I don't even care if you come in my house and take some and leave. Because then I don't have leftovers.) Come between 2:00 and 4:00; any later and the selection won't be as good.

You deserve a free sub.

So go get one. On me. Cause nobody but nobody is quite as nice as Mickelle. Right.

A perfect day...in planning

Mickelle and I have an awesome tradition, given to us from the Muldowneys. Every year it becomes a big guessing game as to what you are going to do for an anniversary or for Valentine's day. Instead of having two people try to plan "surprises" or special things, we trade off. Last year I was responsible for our 5th anniversary, this year I have Velentine's day. Having this arrangement, one person at least has a little bit of relaxing not having to think about it and it turns into a dating experience again. Remember those days when the guy would call, ask the girl out, plan the entire thing, and all she had to do was figure out what to wear (which sometimes was an impossible task in and of itself). Now, we continue that fun and I do my best to plan a day.

Anyway, last year as I was planning our FIVE year anniversary I remembered Mickelle talking about a restaurant that her Dad had taken her to but they did not actually eat there. (Mickelle's note: They have 2 acres of beautiful grounds. So we checked out their park. Pretty cool.) I thought it strange they did not eat at a restaurant, isn't that what you do at restaurants? I checked out the pricing and I realize why now. The restaurant is La Caille, in Sandy, Utah. The average plate costs $40, with specialty items being much more. In fact I would like to draw your attention to the "L'Hombard" in the screen shot below. It is described as a "Twelve ounce tail broiled with Clarified butter and herbed olive oil." The cost..."financing available." Needless to say we did NOT go to La Caille for our anniversary but I did manage to get us to the Melting Pot.

Some day...when we're making money to burn, we may burn some on a L'Hombard or two.

dang it!

In an attempt to romanticize my blog for the holidays, I've lost everybody's blog addresses! ...I think I've got about 60% of them back, but my memory is spotty these days and I just know I'm missing some!

I feel so foolish. But if you want to leave me a note with your blog's address, I promise I'll keep reading...

mushy-gushiness

Valentine's is certainly a fitting excuse to shower Scott with adoration, but this guy has my heart every day, and he really deserves to know it.

Scott, you have always been a dream boat. And girls could see that in you. You always took care of me while we were dating; you constantly re-arranged your schedule so you could always spend every minute with me; you always had surprises up your sleeve. These kinds of things showed me how much I meant to you. But more importantly, they taught me what kind of man you were. And oh, how I totally flipped. By the time you left after Fall Fling, I knew I was in over my head. It made me nervous, losing myself to you so quickly. But for as timid as I felt, everyone was utterly won over by you. I always had a roommate, the Weeds, or my mom around to help me be okay with the vulnerability you feel when you're in love. You know, when I dated other guys, I always had a friend or two that I could tell had some reservations about the guy. But you were different. Nobody else had any concerns, so (in typical Mickelle fashion), I had to create enough to go around. How did you put up with me?

I feel so privileged -- and bewildered -- that you chose me when the world was always your oyster. (Is that why you've given me all those pearls?) You have always been an incredible man. But the man I am now married to has so many more accomplishments than you did 5.5 years ago. And with those accomplishments comes change. You have become more focused. With each passing semester, the enthusiasm and passion you have for engineering grows. You have given this master's degree everything in you, even as the burn-out reached its peak. Socially, there is so much in you to admire and appreciate! You reach out to those around you; you are accepting, inviting, and low-key. You are comfortable with many different personalities and something about you invites them to accept themselves as well. There are total quirks in your personality that are utterly endearing to everyone -- like your penchant for MPS, your love for birthdays and numbers, and your home improvement projects.

I don't know what the future holds for us, but after even the few years we've spent together, I know you well enough to know that it will be beautiful. It will be busy. And it will probably involve a kitchen remodel or two. And I am looking forward to it -- even the days when you are so frantically busy that we don't get as much time together as I'd like. Even then. Because at least I get to sleep next to you.