memorable.

march is often referred to as a transitional month.

and just as winter transitioned to spring, on the twentieth day of march,

my husband made the transition into a new decade.

his forth fifth {thanks for pointing that out, mom}.

what the what?

i know, we're both still scratching our heads over here.

he was twenty-five when we met....

and now he's forty.

really?

forty?

wow.

anywho...

milestone birthdays call for memorable gifts, no?

gift one: a surprise overnight stay at the marriott | city center, sans children.

{thank you, mom and dad for making this one possible}.

we hadn't been downtown in such a long time,

we almost didn't recognize it.

with the incredible new city creek development and all,

it was a bit like discovering a new place.

but with old favorites...

red rock brewery.

the burger and steak fries.

pure heaven, i tell you.

man, i miss that place.

and why, oh why do they not have a location in st. george?

i mean, the name of the restaurant is RED ROCK for cryin' out loud.

seems like a no brainer to me.

then, we did a little birthday shopping.

he bought one pair of shoes.

aaaannnnd....i cleaned out the LOFT. 

i'm sorry, i know it was his birthday and all...

but, 50% off the sale price?

help me out, ladies...

would you pass that up?

after a little dip in the hot tub,
we got cleaned up and headed out to keys on main.

have you guys been there?

i haven't been that entertained in a long time.

i could have stayed there all night.

so. much. fun.
...

gift two: a gift card to red rock bicycle.
since that's where a hefty portion of our income goes anyway,
i figured the gift card might take some of the guilt out of his next purchase.
it was very much appreciated. ;)
...

gift three: easily my favorite one, 

and quite possibly one of my all time favorite gifts. 

ever.

"forty years of memories"

inspired by this pin.

i had less than five days to pull it off, 

but knew it would be a gift that he would never forget.

i secretly contacted family members and close friends and asked them to
share a favorite memory they have of marc.

the response was overwhelming,
and taught me three things
{which i pretty much already knew}...

one :: we are blessed with some really outstanding friends and family.

two :: they would do anything for marc.
and that means more than i can express with words.

three :: he did some seriously stupid things as a young adult.
{not that i have any room to talk}

his dear friend, chad, wrote some of the funniest stuff i think i've ever read.
we were cry/laughing for days over the hysterical memories he shared.

each memory got its own envelope,
and one by one was opened over dinner at the painted pony restaurant.

it was a memorable night, indeed.
now, for the next forty years of memories...

whew...we've got a lot to live up to!
...