Monday, February 3, 2014

since i've been sick...

last sunday night, the worst stomach flu bug in the world struck both chas and i down- within hours of each other. good thing we have two bathrooms now. sheesh. so gross. i'm the type of person who always, always, always catches whatever it is that's going around so i knew it was simply a matter of time before i got hit. getting it exactly two days after recovering from that horrible head cold AND at the exact same time as my husband WHILE pregnant? so awful. i'm just glad it's over now.

so then i get better from my two-week stint of illness and, like a crazy person, decide to throw chas a last-minute surprise birthday party for his 30th birthday on saturday. SO glad i did. for a guy who's always saying how much he doesn't care for big parties and only wants to see a movie...maybe...for his birthday, he sure did LOVE his birthday party. having both our families there, his best buddy from childhood, and lots and lots of pizza, donuts, and root beer turned out to be the perfect evening for my guy. i also surprised him with the gender of our baby (but my midwife was only about 90% sure so we'll wait until the official 20 week ultrasound to make the big announcement)! and, because he has a bunch of family living back east, i asked everyone (on both sides of the family) to write a little letter to chas about why they love him. i compiled them all together and made them into a little book of love letters for him. we even spent a few minutes reading some of them aloud together. that was really special. you could just feel the love bursting from the room.

that evening, after we got home, and the two of us were relaxing in bed, chas did something that i've only seen him do a handful of times in our four years of marriage: cried. he told me how much that party meant to him, how much love and appreciation he felt for me and our families, and how special it all had made him feel. and then i just held him and he wept. i never want to forget that tender moment because, in that moment, i learned how vitally important selfless service is in a healthy, thriving marriage. i'm grateful to chas for allowing himself to be vulnerable and open enough to truly share how it all had affected him so strongly. and i'm grateful that i listened to that quiet little prompting i had a few days earlier to just go for it and give him the party that he deserves not only this birthday but every single birthday.

3 comments:

Jenna Griffin | Gold & Bloom said...

I'm so glad to hear y'all are feeling better! Yikes, the sickness sounds horrible!! :( it is so sweet that the party meant so much to Chas. You're so thoughtful for doing that for him!

Jenna Foote said...

How sweet! I'm glad you're feeling better -- the sickies are making the rounds in our part of the world too and I'm just holding my breath -- literally and figuratively! Can't wait to hear what Baby #2 is!

Anonymous said...

Woohoo...wife of the year goes to Sam! :) (And so glad you are over the nasty sickness.)