Best. Birthday. Gift. Ever.

I turned 30 years old on Wednesday. 30! I’m stoked. Despite the fact that my actual birthday was a few days ago, I actually started celebrating last weekend. Eileen threw me a party last Sunday… and not just any party, but an incredible scavenger hunt party with almost 50 of my friends and family!! I’ll let her tell you about the specifics of how she planned it and how it came together, but I just wanted to try to express how great of a gift this was for me.

When Eileen asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday party, I brainstormed for awhile with her and we eventually arrived at the scavenger hunt idea. Most people know that I enjoy playing games, so this idea was perfect. It allowed me to share my love for games, hang out with a large amount of people I care about, and create a memorable unifying event that I will remember forever.

Obviously, I knew I would like the party, but I wasn’t braced for just how much I would enjoy it. I have been on a super high ever since it started! Here were all these people representing all the many parts of my life, all in my house, all at the same time. There were friends from work, from church, from playing games, from playing sports and from school; not to mention family from my side and Eileen’s. It was beautiful.

I had the pleasure of watching them have fun doing the scavenger hunt. The laughter, the playful competitiveness, the joy. And to think that most of these people were strangers before the hunt started. I love watching people come together over a good game. On top of all of this, I have the whole night documented with pictures from the hunt, as well as from the dinner afterwards in our backyard. The conversations were awesome. The smiles and hugs were aplenty. And the love everyone showed me was unforgettable.

And as if this wasn’t enough, after Eileen and I cleaned the disaster that was our house… we sat outside under the stars, held hands and talked. Priceless.

Well, I’m blessed to say the least. And I truly feel humbled to have such amazing people around me shower me with their gifts of love and joy.

Thanks to everyone for showing up. For being there for me. For thinking of me. For making me feel special.

And a special thanks to my wife, Eileen. You’re amazing. Thank you.

Best. Birthday. Gift. Ever.

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