Aaron threw his back out over conference weekend and woke up feeling a little old on his 39th birthday. He spoke nostalgically of his favorite childhood dinner, meatloaf, and this magical "turtle cake" that Baskin Robbins used to make. In past years, I have attempted to order this magical mystery cake but Baskin Robbins employees respond to my request with rejection, confusion, and laughter. Evidently, they stopped making the turtle cake like 25 years ago.
Since Aaron is not ready to embrace the final year of his 30's, I turned the clock back a few years and gave him a retro birthday. First up: meatloaf.
Meatloaf is not my favorite dish. I haven't made one in at least 12 years. I asked for friends and our mothers to share their favorite recipes and ended up putting my own combo together. It was muy excellente! Paired with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, it was some good old fashioned home cookin' and the birthday boy was pleased.
Meggie's Meatloaf
2lb ground sirloin
1/2 onion diced
1/2 carrot finely shredded
1/2 zucchini finely shredded
1/2 red sweet bell pepper finely diced
1/3 sweet potato finely shredded
1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c ritz cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, pressed
1tsp (I'd add 1TBS next time) Worcestershire sauce
1/3 packet dry onion soup mix (measurement approximate)
Fresh thyme
Bake in glass loaf pan at 375* for about an hour and 15 min. Let sit 10 before serving. Tÿ Full of flavor, and all of the kids ate it. (Winning!)
Throwback Birthday came with a Red Ryder BB gun for zdaddy
The final surprise was our own wannabe ice cream turtle pie.
I bought a chocolate pie shell and went to the old fashioned soda shoppe downtown and had them fill it with "cutie" scoops of every flavor (except diet vanilla because really, why does that garbage even exist?). And then I bought a cup of hot fudge to pour over the top and freeze. He was so excited.
My entire world is in this photograph.
Aaron is truly the most wonderful and selfless person I have ever met. He serves willingly, cheerfully, and often. I am so grateful for his love and companionship in raising this crazy brood of ours. I hope they all take after him.
Here is a schmoopie list of 39 things we love about Aaron:
1) Aaron serves constantly, willingly, and quietly.
2) Aaron is a great teacher, both in lessons he teaches when fathering our children, and in his ability to open a manual, and teach a truly wonderful lesson from it, regardless of the amount of time he is given to prepare. The lessons he jumps in to sub and teach on the spot are as good as the lessons he spends hours preparing. When he teaches our children, he gives thoughtful consideration to their needs and teaches with love and encouragement.
3) Aaron is ridiculously patient
4) Aaron is passionate about the things and people he loves. His Cougar/Lakers love runs deeeep and basketball games are on the very short list of things he will stay up late at night for.
5) Aaron can juggle anything. Tonight ihe wowed the kiddies at a BBQ juggling 3 soccer balls. It was an impressive sight.
6) Aaron is hilarious.
7) Aaron is tender hearted and compassionate. He hates to see people hurting.
8) Aaron is incredibly generous. Future generations of his posterity will share stories about how generous he is and his example of selflessness toward anyone in need of something he has. I can't even write about some of the wonderful things he has done for others, but I can say with surety his generous nature is the hallmark characteristic he will always be known for.
9) Aaron has great hair.
10) Aaron loves to go to Walmart. He likes to see everything on the shelves. He likes to go into neighborhood markets and check out his items. I loathe grocery shopping but see it as a necessary evil in order to do something I DO love: cooking. If I ask Aaron to go to the grocery store, he will. Every single time.
11) Aaron likes to DO stuff. He likes to get out and have a new adventure with the kids. He Ike's to go on dates. He likes trying new places and having new experiences. He's the first to check out what's happening at local performing arts venues. When we visit a new town, he asks locals what we need to do there and where we need to eat.
12) Aaron stays informed and educated on the things happening in his professional field. He reads articles about walmart execs and buys business magazines about grocery and retail stores.
13) Aaron has an easy to please personality. When he was called into our ward's bishopric, I knew he'd be an ideal counselor because he's such a supportive companion.
14) Aaron can drop a perfectly timed movie line and have us rolling in laughter
15) Aaron never looks better than when he's got a baby on him.
16) Aaron learned how to change the brakes on our van, and saves us $400 every time.
17) Aaron keeps in touch well with his family. He calls his brothers and parents and texts them out of the blue. He prays for them and for their children every morning in our couples prayer.
18) Aaron is a great storyteller.
19) Aaron is a dedicated home teacher. He visited and home taught our friend Pam Guest for 8 years. He visits his families every month, and does what he van to serve them. Just two Saturday's ago, he went over to one of his families homes and did yardwork.
20) Aaron recognizes potential for good in everyone.
21) Aaron is a fun dad. Our children will never doubt that their dad genuinely enjoys their company.
22) Aaron is thrifty but not cheap.
23) Aaron has a good memory and could rely on his brain alone to manage his schedule. I'm pretty sure he only writes appointments down for my benefit.
24) Aaron enjoys the fine things in life, like cold cereal at 10pm and a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
25) Aaron really really loves his mom.
26)
27) I love to road trip with Aaron. He never lacks for good conversation, he likes good music, and he finds great places to eat along the way. These are ideal road trip partner conditions.
28) Aaron keeps the lawn mowed even though he hates the task.
29) Aaron is an introvert, but still enjoys and makes time for social gatherings.
30) Aaron has no problem waking up 2 hours early to get something done or run an errand. I personally will sacrifice just about anything for an extra 2 hours of sleep. Or one hour. Or fifteen minutes.
31) Aaron says thank you for every meal that is prepared for him, and encourages the children to express gratitude as well.
32) Aaron genuinely cares about other people without caring about what they think of him.
33) Aaron has good taste in business clothes and looks really good in a suit. He also doesn't complain when one of our children gets crayon or spits up on his suit.
34) Actually, Aaron pretty much doesn't complain about anything, ever.
35) Aaron loves to brush the girls' hair.
36) taking 4 kids swimming (3 of whom cannot swim independently) does not stress him out. I panic at the pool and produce a nervous sheen of sweat until we are home. Aaron is calm and relaxed and fun.
37) Aaron is a good public speaker. He is confident and doesn't get nervous, he stays on topic, and is exciting to listen to.
38) Aaron is a deflector for negative energy. He chooses not to absorb a negative atmosphere and can remain calm and uplifting even if everyone around him is having a bad day.
39) Aaron makes everything better. He improves every situation just with his presence. He has smart ideas. He is supportive and thoughtful. He is the catch of a lifetime.
Happy Birthday Aaron!
