Brandon's Birthday

Brandon turned 29 on the 30th, but we tried to celebrate all weekend, since we knew he'd be busy at work on Monday.  On Friday, we surprised him around lunchtime at work with balloons and treats and cookies to "pass out to his friends" (Rachel's idea).  The kids love to go visit daddy at work because they always get treats and sprite.  We also decorated his door with balloons and streamers, made him his favorite meal - spaghetti & meatballs with homemade sauce, and I attempted a german chocolate cake.  It was good for cake, I suppose - we're not really cake people.  We'd take candy any day over any type of baked goods - they just don't get eaten in our house.

Disclaimer:  I tried to be a cute and sweet wife, but girl's camp was just around the corner, so I may have been a bit distracted.  Poor guy!

Oh!  And this year he got something fun for his birthday that he REALLY wanted!!  He asked for a snow cone maker, but not just any crushed chunky ice cheapo one - a heavy duty hawaiian ice machine (shaves ice just like the texture of snow).  It's a top-of-the-line machine for making snow cones at home (kind of similar to buying a kitchenaid or blentec blender).  This is very out of the ordinary for him to ask for something like this for himself, so I was excited to get it for him!  He also got himself a woodworking router with his birthday money from the parentals.

29 things you might not know about Brandon...

1.  Allergic to all melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, etc.)
2.  Gives himself his own haircuts ... in the bathroom ... naked!  (too much info? perhaps!)
3.  Always on time - not just on time, but he's most likely early
4.  Dresses nicely to work everyday ... Fridays are dress down days, but he just can't bring himself to do it; he wears a tie to work almost daily
5.  His favorite drink of all-time is Goose Island Rootbeer from Chicago (and you can only get it in Chicago)
6.  He loves candy!  His favorites vary between york, reeses, sour watermelon, sour patch kids, starburst, skittles, etc.
7.  Even with all that candy, he's only ever had one teeny tiny cavity!!  No fair!
8.  He hates to go to the doctor or dentist and avoids it at all costs
9.  Never eats breakfast - I've tried sending him with nutrigrain / granola bars, but no luck - he just doesn't eat breakfast
10.  He only goes out to lunch at work if someone else initiates it- he'd never just go out to eat because he wanted to - I'm pretty sure he doesn't need food to function (and no, I can't send a lunch with him, that would be way too embarrassing - he'd rather just wait until dinner)
11.  At work, he has a hot chocolate every morning (I guess this could be called his "breakfast")
12.  Loves sports / talk radio and listens to it on his morning/night 30 minute commute
13.  Avid sports fan - most passionate about football (both NFL and college), but he also loves baseball; his favorite teams are the Cubs, Bears, BYU, Diamondbacks, etc.
14.  He hardly ever spends money
15.  Weighs about 150 pounds - a tough number for me to beat even on my skinniest of days
16.  Finished his undergraduate in 3 short years - thank you for that
17.  Has a gold sequin bowling-type shirt that he sewed himself (he wears it to an annual work party)
18.  Attorney by day, rock star dad by night!  He is so good at playing with the kids and is always willing to hang out with the kids while I go run a quick errand, or if he wants to go to Home Depot or something, then he offers to take them with him.  When he's home, he's HOME (meaning that he has a hard time working from home, so he just saves it for early the next morning at work).
19.  He's an early bird - he has an internal alarm clock that goes off around 5/5:30a, and he's left to work before 6a
20.  He takes a bath every morning - while he does he's usually reading the morning news or his email
21.  He's a hard worker!  Since he has to account and bill for every 6 minutes of his work day, he is a very efficient worker and doesn't waste his time.  He's gone for about 12 hours a day - leaves by 6a and is usually home around 6p.
22.  Loves the heat and Arizona weather!  He never ever complains about how darn hot it is.
23.  Served his mission in McAllen, Texas and learned Spanish as a missionary
24.  He tells me he loves his job (as much as you could love a job) - and I hope he really does!  I know he enjoys working with his co-workers and he enjoys working for a good firm - he's proud of the work they are doing
25.  He really wants to be on the show, "Wipeout!" and he would do really good, I'm convinced
26.  He's Elders Quorum President in our ward currently - also known as the move in/out specialist
27.  Shopping for any length of time makes him physically nauseous
28.  Loves woodworking and he's working on building a bed for Andrew right now; he also takes the kids to the Home Depot or Lowe's Saturday building projects a couple times a month
29.  A wonderful husband, and I'm so happy to have him as my best friend!