our birthday week...

Because our Birthdays are just two days apart, John and I typically end up celebrating, not only on the 23rd and the 25th...but for the entire week! We refer to it as, our Birthday week; and boy has that ever been the case this year!

Here's a breakdown of the b-day events...

Monday the 21st
Scott was in town - so, everyone met at Lori's for pizza, cheesecake, and ice cream. We celebrated Scott and John's Birthday (23rd), Rob's (24th), and mine (25th)!

Tuedsay the 22nd
Rob and Brooke gave us tickets to the Diamondbacks game (for our birthday), and invited us to join them. We had a blast together! I'm really not big on sports, and I probably watched a collective 10 minutes total (of the 4 1/2 hour game), but there was something so fun and exciting about being there...the crowds, the music, the hype, the stadium (which was huge, and amazing). Really, we had such a great time. Unfortunately, though, Rob was supposed to be part of a promotion to catch fly balls sometime during the forth inning (his birthday present from Brooke); but for some reason, unbeknownst to us, the intern in charge of the promotions had lined up somebody else, and didn't bother contacting Rob! To say the least, this guy totally dropped the ball (no pun intended). After breaking the news to him that he wouldn't be catching any balls, they asked if he'd be interested in taking part in a different promotion called where's the Gecko?, in the which the Geiko Gecko would be hiding somewhere in the crowd, and Rob would be given like 30 seconds or so to spot him. The invite was comparable to a slap in the face, after reneging on their earlier promise to let him catch the flies. Nevertheless, Rob was a good sport, accepted the invitation, spotted the Gecko (with a little help from us), had a few moments of fame, and in the end made out like a bandit (in prizes).


The four of us at the game...

Wednesday the 23rd
John's Birthday! We woke up super early (like 6 AM), to open presents. I actually had to wake him up... I was too excited to give him his stuff. The highlights - his grill, and the book I made for him. He repeated to me several times, "this is the best birthday I've ever had", which of course, made everything totally worth it for me! We enjoyed a wonderful lunch out together, and a nice evening at home (after his Elder's Quorum meeting and visits), watching the finale of American Idol. (Too bad our man Blake didn't make it...oh well, Jordin was really really good, and probably totally deserved it. We just thought Blake's Beat Boxing pretty entertaining...)






Thursday the 24th
Rob's 30th!...and our combined Birthday Bash at Jerry's house. John and Brooke planned a really fun pool party, and invited a ton of our friends to come and join in the celebration of our three birthdays. The 23rd, was also the birthday of a guy in the ward, so we invited him and his wife to come, and be honored as well. I had a great time that night! Food. Swimming. Friends. A few of my favorite things, by far! It was especially great, getting to know some of the people in our ward (at least better than before), and to be able to let loose, and to laugh, eat, swim, and live up my 20's...for one more day!


Ruby and her darling little friend Sofia


All of us girls...


My family


Ruby and mama with our friends Amber and JR


Ruby all wrapped up...


The Birthday Kids!
Nicole (30 on the 25th), John (28 on the 23rd), Rob (30 0n the 24th), Kris (28 on the 23rd)


Friday the 25th
My Birthday! I'd like to start off by saying that I have no qualms about turning 30. I still feel young (and people tell me I look young), I have a lot of energy, I'm (getting) in good shape...seriously, what's not to love about turning 30?
Besides that, I have the most beautiful family, and the best husband ever! Listen to what he did for me. He got me up, and took me to the table where I found two presents - a small white box with a red bow, and a 8x11 manila envelope with the writing The big birthday day plan on the front. I first opened the small package, and lo and behold, found a mini ipod shuffle, in hot pink, with the inscription love is... engraved on the back. (The saying is an insider that we share, which also goes along with the toothpaste on the toothbrush thing, mentioned in a previous post.) I was thrilled! I've been wanting one of these to take to the gym, and also to use when I go put running. To be quite honest, I would have been completely happy with the ipod alone, but, oh no, John did not stop there...





Inside the large envelope, I discovered a stapled packet of papers, the top one reading, Happy Birthday! I then flipped the page and read, Luv is... Turning to page 3, I found the words: Pack your bags! We're off to Vegas!!! Happy 30th Nicole!
And, just in case you are at all curious as the what the subsequent pages contained, here you are:

4) You might be asking..."What will we be doing in Vegas?" (At the bottom of this page he had various images of wedding chapels, slot machines, poker chips, cards, and buffets.)

5) No! None of these things!! Well...maybe the buffet :)
(a picture of a buffet at the bottom of the page)

6) Agenda for Today

7) We Leave for Vegas at 9 AM! (Start packing fast!)

8) What would your Birthday be like without getting something from Nordstrom?
Well, we won't find out the answer to that question this year! Let's spend those Nordstrom Rewards certificates at the Fashion Show Mall!
(side note: we've been saving up those certificates for some time now, and I'll just say, we had a lot!)

9) 7:00 PM Stomp Out Loud, showing at Planet Hollywood
(images from the show all over the page)

10) What a day!
What's the matter? Are you tired already? The night is young!! What's next!?

11) 10:30 PM Cirque Du Soliel "O" , playing at the Bellagio
(once again he had various images from the show adorning the page)

12) Wait! You haven't asked "My love, Where will we be staying?"

13) Loews Resort at Lake Las Vegas
(with pictures of the room, the spa, the pools, the lake...with the white sandy beach)

14) Saturday 9:00 PM Phantom of the Opera, (with pictures, of course) showing at the Venetion

Okay, so that was John's Birthday surprise to me, and let me tell you, I was beyond surprised. I was thinking we'd probably spend the day around Mesa, maybe go to a movie, get a bite to eat...never, in my wildest imagination, did I suspect this! I was, in fact, so shocked, that I had difficulty packing my bags...it felt as if I were paralyzed, from the head down! The trip was amazing, and I am so grateful to my dear sweet John...who delights in making my dreams become reality. John, this was the best birthday I've ever had! Thank you & I love you!

(pictures and details from the trip to come...)