We celebrated my 26th birthday a while back. Am I really that old? I have been married for 5 years, I have two kids- I like to think of myself as 26 years young!

Steve has mastered the birthday cake- a box of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls with some candles to top it off! He knows me far too well, I’m a sucker for a tasty cinnamon roll. Steve pulled out the birthday bucket, banner, and newly added birthday table runner and it was nice to walk into a decorated kitchen for a birthday, that I didn’t have to hang up anything for.

We met for lunch at the mall and did a little shopping before Steve had to return to work. We ate pizza that night and Steve even let me pick the toppings- what a man. Of course I went fruity- who doesn’t like a little canadian bacon and pineapple. I’m sure Steve would’ve preferred a manly pepperoni- but whose birthday was it? That’s right…I was calling the shots!

I think I’ve mentioned Steve’s creativity and preparation for such occasions, but if I haven’t- he’s the man. He starts thinking well in advance. Does more preparation than needed so he can have the perfect gift, or create the perfect moment. Not many men can pull this off. So it should come as no surprise that Steve went above and beyond for my birthday. He, with the help of our amazing friends the Tysons, (Thank you Leslie- and Jared thanks for supervising the project.) created a DVD of my life. I was shocked. I’m the one who always creates the videos, worries about the music, puts it all together and revels in excitement as the recipient watches it for the first time.

So for once the tables had been turned. I was the teary eyed girl watching as my life unfolded before me. And although I’ve seen every picture a hundred times, and listened to the music continuously for years, it can’t replace the feeling when put together seamlessly in a video. It was so cool and so fun to watch. I couldn’t help but watch 26 years of life and think, “Man, it’s been a good life.” I have an amazing family, and wonderful friends who have shared so many moments of my life.

I had to chuckle with Steve as I saw so many pictures that gave the appearance that I was an outdoorsy girl- those that know me, know this is a far cry from reality. But I have the pictures of atv rides, skiing, rappeling in Zion, cabins in the mountains, hiking…the list could go on. So maybe I am a little on the outdoorsy side!? My dad would be so proud…and at the same time probably strongly disagree!!

What I loved about watching the video, was the fact that in the split second of seeing a picture, the memory comes flooding back. Every detail, names, conversations. It’s fascinating how our mind works in that regard. Memories which could be considered forgotten are stored somewhere deep in our minds and can be pulled out at various points in our life without missing a detail. Yet it’s hard to remember things like phone numbers, or addresses!

It was a great day, Steve made sure of that, and I’m grateful for his very thoughtful gift. I will cherish it forever.