to thirty

last monday, i turned 30. surprisingly to many - including me - the day came and went with zero hyped-up emotional episodes of panic or self-pity. the transition from 29 to 30 was supposed to mean something tragic. it was supposed to represent the death of some significant being inside of me and the birth of some ripened version my former fresh-faced self. and when it didn't feel like any of that i spent half of a second trying to figure out why, and then promptly went back to living my life. because it didn't matter. and maybe that relatively logical perspective is the peek into what 30 will be like. if so, this decade will be the most stress-free, genuinely enjoyable one yet. so 30, pull up a chair! it's great to have you.

the saturday before my birthday, joey presented me with a bound portfolio entitled "jamie's valentine's day/birthday agenda". the first page instructed me not to turn the page until the first adventure was over. i had an hour to shower and prepare for a day of mystery. only a few clues were provided, along with a list of rules that asked for "no questions" and "limited cell phone use". i hate surprises. i am a prude. but i'm also a rule follower, and the idea of having an agenda, however limited and secretive, was empowering and helped my reallyeasygoing nature (wink) relax.

joey and huck dropped me off on some obscure, snow covered curb in the middle of old town alexandria, and at that point i was allowed to turn the first page. stop number one was a manicure/pedicure a block away. i must have walked ten miles throughout the day. all over gorgeous old town (the next stop was a message!) then through the bustling streets of george washington university's campus (my new employer - have i mentioned?!!). every page brought a new location, a new map, and an envelop stuffed with money or a metro pass or whatever supplies i would need for the next piece of my adventure. on the last page i was instructed to meet henry and joey at the lincoln memorial. i stood on the top step looking out at the reflection pool and the pointy top of the washington monument before my family arrived, bundled up in my warmest layers as the wind whipped my hair around and tingled my cheeks, and i smiled. i was freezing and impatient for the boys to find me, but at that moment i felt like i'd won the lottery. the plan once joey and huck arrived was to have our pictures taken around the memorial, but we decided to get henry back to the car and out of the bitter weather instead. we spend the rest of the afternoon together in our warm house, and after henry went to bed our neighbors came over and joey took me to one of my favorite sea food places we've tried yet.

some day he's going to give me lots of grief for all the pictures we have of him wrapped up in his amice. and i will describe in chunky detail how fun it is to clean up the seemingly infinite amounts of spit up and drool that drain continuously from his sometimes smiley little face.

the day was... just so... exactly what i needed. the word perfect doesn't even scratch the surface. joey could have handed me an itinerary as articulate and thought out as the one i got, and i would have been completely overjoyed with just that. just the thought. just the time that i knew he'd put in making every single piece smooth, stress-free, and meticulously tailored for me was enough. but then i got to make it happen! each time i turned the page, my heart skipped. every time i opened an envelop filled with just the perfect amount of cash for the next stop on my journey made me love my husband even more, which seems impossible. because the truth is, i really did win the lottery. this life, it's just so incredible.

these guys. my heart.