Ladies and gentlemen, Chris has done it.  He has made it to the big 3-0.  A milestone this momentous calls for a celebration to match, and thus, we [Read: Sarah] decided that two weekends of birthday were in order.  Part I highlights include:

1. Fun and silliness at home:  Even though Chris’s actual birthday was celebrated at home with only the two of us, Sarah still hung streamers, blew up balloons, and made a ridiculous birthday hat.  No matter how old we get, we still believe that every birthday is an excuse to embrace our inner child.  That said, a clown/petting zoo seemed pretty creepy for a 30-year-old-man, so we settled on a home-cooked meal and a whiskey tasting instead.

2. Birthday video: Originally, Chris had toyed with the idea of making a trip back to The States for his 30th.  Unfortunately, due to work and the impending wedding season we will have next summer, we decided against it; however, Sarah was still eager to give Chris a taste of home.  With the help of friends and family from far and wide, she was able to compile a video with birthday wishes.  A big thank you goes out to everyone who made a submission – you helped make this birthday a very special one indeed.  Should you be curious, here’s the video link.

3. Shopping in Milan: Chris is “all-man.”  He loves sports of all kinds, is a hairy dude (increasingly true), can fix most things, refuses to ask for directions, and takes pride in his “inability” to cook/clean/do laundry.  Chris does enjoy dressing sharp, but he definitely still shops like a man.  There’s no “let’s see what other stores have” or “I’m just browsing.”  He wants to go once a year, have a little Italian lady shop for him, spend a bunch of money, and be done.   Thanks to a very generous gift from Mama Milne and Papa George, he was able to do just that.  We trained down to Milan for the weekend and headed to a store we had discovered while there in April.  Shockingly, the same shop attendant was working on Saturday.  Even more shockingly, she remembered us and was excited to play “Ken Doll” with Chris again.  Though Sarah had allotted an entire day for shopping, Chis was done after two hours and one store.  Great success.

Up next is Part II: Barcelona where we plan to meet friends, drink wine, eat gazpacho, and continue to ring in the glory of thirty.