Well it's no surprise now! Justin is 30! And shhhh! (He has his first gray hair!) ;)

Justin's family and I worked hard the past month planning a surprise party for him. He is tough to surprise! Not like me, I point blank ask question repeatedly, trying to pry out information... But Justin? He's just plain difficult. It started with asking him where he wanted to celebrate. Justin's family always goes out to dinner, usually somewhere in Montgomeryville because there are many places to chose from and it's an easy meeting location for all of us. Where does Justin say he wants to go? Allentown. Not anywhere NEAR Montgomeryville. Humph... Sooo Justin's dad worked out an idea and told him he had a job at the catering hall that he had to check back on after dinner. Not at all out of the ordinary, so Justin obliged that he'd *deal* with something around there. Macaroni Grill it is. We tried to work things out to have him go to the catering hall (where the party was!) but he was being too difficult. It was decided a kidnapping was in order. Very fitting for him.

So his brothers, Josh and John, sister Grace and friend Brian pulled what seemed to have been a professional Justin-knapping. Justin drove our family to Macaroni Grill and we parked. As soon as Justin got out of the car, they parked us in, Brian jumped out, punched Justin in the stomach (that was not in the plan, but it worked), blind-folded him, and threw him in the car, then took off. It happened so fast, luckily Justin didn't have time to get Jackson out of his carseat, nor did the boys see what happened. Jackson just asked, "What happened to Daddy?!" Then I finally got to break it to him that we were having a big party after all for Daddy at Poppy's work. Jackson is not good at keeping secrets, so there was no way I was going to trust him with that one! So off we went to the party!

It was wonderful to see all of Justin's friends and some family there to celebrate! We had fun! It was busy with all the children, but nice and laid back. Very Justin-esque. I even got the nerve to go up in front of everyone to share what I loved about my husband. I'm not sure if he heard me, or everything I even said, so I'll share it again. Happy Birthday Justin, I love you Babe!

Justin is a wonderful and husband. We've been married 4 years now and there has never been a dull moment. I think we can attribute some of that to our two boys, but them aside, Justin's youthful personality always keeps life fun. He is always very supportive of me and encouraging in how I care for our boys and how I keep our home, even when it's a mess! He doesn't laugh at some of my ideas that I think others would...

He is a wonderful father. Justin is the perfect balance of fun and authority. I love how our boys look up to him and love him. The know when it's time for Justin to come home and begin to get restless and are ready to tackle him when he comes in the door. He is so infectious that even the neighborhood kids come to our door asking if he can come out to play.

Justin is a faithful son and brother. He calls often to share his political views, eduction views, and of course sports talk. I often mistake him for a football or hockey manager during some of the overheard conversations.

He is a hard worker. Justin wakes up well before the sun has risen to go into work so he can make it home to spend time with his family. He does his best to assure his work doesn't get in the way of family time, and makes sure he's home in time in the evening to have a family dinner and spend time with the boys before bed. He and Jackson spend lots of time doing their bedtime routine of telling funny made of stories and praying that no Sasquatches or Zurg from Toy Story come.

He is a good friend. He is so loyal. Looking out at everyone today reminds me how Justin stays true to his friendships. No matter what season of life he is in, he still keeps in contact with all of his friends who have crossed his path through his 30 years.

I feel so blessed that God chose Justin for my husband. I love you, Just. Happy Birthday.


Of course I never take enough photos... I have a few, so enjoy... The last one would be our son Jackson after he snuck off to the bar and took out a couple dozen glasses, filled them with water and sodas from the fountain. Can we say bartender in the future?




1 comments:

  1. It looks like you all had a great time. I am so sorry that we were unable to make it. I was however able to spend some quality time with my husband. We went bowling and had a blast. Happy Belated Birthday Justin!