Jared's Birthday/New Year's Eve

Jared had to work on his birthday (which also happens to be New Year's Eve) but we made him a special breakfast - his favorite eggs benedict - before he had to leave for work.

This guy is one amazing man. I'm so very very very blessed to be married to the most hard-working, uncomplaining, selfless, smart, capable and handsome guy there is.

We headed to SLC to meet up with Jared and my mom and Charity for a birthday lunch.

When Jared had to go back to work, the rest of us checked out some amazing birds at Tracy Aviary. We learned lots of new stuff. I love how these kids get so very interested in learning about the amazing animals and plants in this world.

 

After the aviary, we checked out some cool contemporary art at the museum downtown, found all these cool "secret" art installations they'd set up as a scavenger hunt for New Years, then visited Temple Square - got to see all the lights turn on just as darkness started to fall - pretty cool to be there right at that moment. Super cool to be there with Charity who knows how to drink in the best of everything.

We had a lot of fun at a Broadway Tunes Sing-Along there at Temple Square. Fun to belt out some old favorites along with lots of other people. Loved singing "Do you Hear the People Sing" from Les Mis at the top of of our lungs, all the kids getting every word and remembering how I told them the whole story of Les Mis last year as a several-installment bedtime story.

Charity was kind enough to take care of the kids while I took Jared out for his favorite thing - a nice big super rare and juicy steak. He was very pleased.

 Then we picked up the kids and hurried back to Ogden so Ashton could go to his first dance. Since he'd be 14 in just a couple days, the Young Men's leaders said he could go to the big multi-stake New Years Dance and he was pretty darn excited about it. Here he is heading out the door for the dance, his trusty ever-present fedora on his head (sorry about the bad lighting).

 After delivering Ashton to the party, the rest of us had a great party to finish celebrating Jared's birthday and say goodbye to 2013. We played games, ate cake and had a great time until everyone was tired. We watched the New Year kick off in New Orleans at 11pm and called it a night.


Goodbye 2013. Hello to Jared's 40th year of life!