Lisa Beth

Today my husband turned 28.  I love birthdays and I love surprises, and so even though Eric doesn’t flip for either of these things, I got to experience it anyway by planning a fun evening of surprises for his birthday.  Of course, being Eric, he guessed each thing before it could actually be a surprise, but I pride myself in at least keeping it all a surprise until the actual day.

First event I had planned was dinner with a bunch of our friends at one of Eric’s favorite BBQ places down here in the south… Holy Smokes BBQ!

Then we all headed over to our apartment for dessert and coffee… but first Eric had to stop and admire our friend Bryan’s motorcycle

I was so excited about the dessert because one of Eric’s favorite cakes is German Chocolate Cake.  Well, I had mentioned this at work, and one of the dentists I work for said that she has this German Chocolate Cake recipe she’s been wanting to try.  She asked me if she could make it for Eric, so this morning, she brought it in to work for me, and I carefully transported it to my refrigerator.  It turned out beautifully and I couldn’t wait to present it to Eric.  Which we all did with a loud boisterous Happy Birthday Song while he blew out the 8 candles

Then the guys enjoyed some quality time out on our balcony smoking their cigars and pipes…

At one point during the evening, my friend Kelly and I looked at each other and smiled… we shared how it was just so nice to look around the room and see everyone interacting and laughing and to have our apartment filled with people.  I loved hearing everyone’s voices sing loudly to Eric and the happy look on his face being surrounded by such great friends.  I loved looking out onto the balcony and seeing him be able to laugh and enjoy relaxed conversation with some quality guys.

We SO much miss our friends in Minnesota, especially on Eric’s birthday when we had some very special birthday traditions with our friends there who shared his birthdate.  When I told Eric I had a surprise for him, he actually asked, “Did you fly out the Petersons and the Millers to have dinner together w/me on my birthay?!”  But I am so thankful to God for the way that He has provided us with some great friends here in NC too.  Rekindling old friendships and discovering new ones.

I love you, Eric Hosiah! I’m so blessed to be married to you and to spend your 28th year with you and see all the adventures God takes us on this next year!