Thirty One.

I am sure if you were to ask Jonathan about his birthday this year he would say it was slightly anticlimactic. I think the year after an over the top surprise is probably to blame. These are the birthdays of the real world, after all. You can't do something like that every year (although it is tempting).

This year the thirty-first birthday was quite simple. We ate a nice little breakfast together as a family before Jonathan headed out the door to Christ Clinic for the morning.

We had a lovely dinner out with some friends before the Fernando Ortega Christ Clinic/Kitchen benefit concert - and celebrated after with some chocolate peanut butter dessert :).

And we gathered with family over the weekend for a little BBQ pizza (my new favorite meal on the planet) and strawberry rhubarb pie.

Hurrah for thirty-one years of life for Mr. Jono. I am thankful for him always. And I love him more today than I did twelve+ years ago when I met him - if that's possible. When he was twenty nine I listed 29 things I loved about him. When he was 30 I counted down to his big day with thirty surprises (one being our big trip to Yosemite). This year I got him a bright shirt to run in (I've been getting nervous about him running when it's dark), which he didn't ask for. And some new cologne, which he also didn't ask for. I am pretty sure I struck out this year. So I will just say THREE things I love most about him, right now on April 30, 2012.

#1. He is such an incredible dad. Honestly he walks in the door and plays with Clara until the second her head hits the pillow. Her eyes light up when he comes into the room and I am SO blessed that my little girl gets to have him for a daddy (and let's not forget Calebo. He loves him too. It's just a little less hands-on at this point in time).

#2. He works harder than anyone I know. Although this trait seems to also make me the most angry with him, I am very blessed by his work ethic and desire to improve in all areas of his life. No new goal or ambition would surprise me right now. It makes me crazy, but I also love this about him.

#3. He lives life like it's an adventure. Life with Jonathan will never be boring, even though this too makes me nuts sometimes. I will never be surprised by any new sport/skill/instrument/etc. he wants to pursue - and most of the time I truly love this about him. I just remind him from time to time that he is just one person, not two. So if he thinks getting certified to climb with a rope sounds interesting, great. He might just not have a lot of time to pursue it ;). In all honesty, though, I am so thankful for this or I wouldn't list it as my top three right now.

So there you have it. It's all I've got. Happy 31st, my love!