Surprise!

So, Matthew is officially 30 years old as of October 15, 2009! He tells me that it's not so much the number 30 that makes him feel "old", it's the 'having a baby' deal that's making him feel old. :) We decided to celebrate his birthday one day early because the Phillies (who are now officially NLCS champs and on their way to the World Series) were playing on the 15th. We bought a nice bottle of wine and headed to a cute little Italian restaurant we've heard great things about - only to find out it went out of business! Off we went to try Marciano's, another Italian restaurant, where Matt had the best veal parmesan ever. Even I would go back for it, and veal parm is not something I would ever choose off the menu! Yum!

Meanwhile, I had Matt convinced we were going to do a steak dinner out in Germantown with friends on Saturday the 18th to celebrate his birthday. I would not consider myself a good secret keeper, but I was able to keep the surprise party I had planned for him an actual surprise! I was positive he was suspicious, considering I always plan at least something (happy hour or cornhole at the house) for his birthday. I spent Friday after work and Saturday morning while Matt was running 20 miles prepping for the party. Our friends Jen and Danny (Matt's marathon partner) were so sweet to let me host the party at their house - I really can't thank them enough! As we turned the corner into their cove, Matt realized someone was having a party because of all the cars - he just didnt' quite realize it was his party until he saw all of our friends standing outside with a "Happy 30th Murph" sign. I have to say, it was quite a good surprise and I think he had a great time - cornhole, High Life, an inflatable joust, and a designated driver - what more could a guy ask for on his 30th birthday? Below are some pictures post-surprise...unfortunately I wasn't able to get a shot of the actual surprise considering we were in the car.

Warming up before his joust debut.

Andrew and Murph...both completely sober, of course.

Petey and Murph...a little 3 am rock band once we got home.

Matthew's 30th 'Happy Birthday' serenade (please excuse my lovely voice!)

In all seriousness though, we had a great time and it was pretty great to get to spend such a fun night with friends. Thanks again to Jen and Danny for letting me fill their yard with toys and thanks to Lizzy for helping set up!

To my favorite and soon to be baby-daddy: Happy birthday! I love you and love celebrating special days with you...hopefully God blesses us with many more to share! xxoo!