It was a KNOCKOUT!
"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." - Proverbs 17:22
What do you do for a man who doesn't ask for much, but deserves it all?
That was the question that I grappled with as I began to plan my husband Quentin's birthday. My husband's birthday is on December 17th - a literal week before Christmas Eve. Of course, I want to keep the celebration for his birthday and Christmas separate - but deciding what to do for his birthday and save for Christmas can be a little daunting.
After making several brainstorming lists, here's what I decided to do for the "champion" in my life:
For the past year or so, Quentin's shown an interest in boxing. For at-home workouts, he'll often turn on Billy Blanks "Boom Boxing" video on Youtube. He even bought him and I boxing gloves and boxing pads (I have gold ones!). This sparked the idea for the theme of this year's birthday - Quentin's KNOCKOUT 34!!
The celebration started on Saturday morning when I surprised him with a boxing class! Although he'd enjoyed the at-home workouts, he'd never taken a formal boxing class. Even though he'd worked an overnight shift the night before, he was pumped!
The class was 45 minutes and truly a workout - not just of the body, but of the mind as well. Just memorizing the combos was a workout for me! My husband had a blast in the class (and is even still practicing the techniques that we learned that day at home!). Safe to say, his birthday had gotten off to a great start!
When we got home, I decided that it was now time to deck him out like a champ. I gifted him with his very own boxing outfit - a matching black/silver robe and shorts set with a tiger emblem on the back (his favorite animal!). He now looked the part - even posed for a few flicks to show off his new look!
For lunch/dinner, he'd requested a taco bar. I prepared a taco bar complete with all of his favorite fixings - chicken, beef, bacon, seasoned rice, queso, lettuce, and cheese (any other toppings that you see was for me! lol). To fit the theme, I called this his "Taco K.O."!
Aside from just the taco bar, I found a taco piñata that I filled with some of his favorite candies. To fit the theme, I let him punch the candy out with boxing gloves. As you can see, the goodies were thoroughly appreciated!
To end the night, I knew I wanted to do something for him that was low key. Two days before, I'd rediscovered Luxe Fragrance Bar on social media. I'd seen a video on Instagram that you could make your own custom fragrances there. If you know my husband, you know he loves to smell good (and everything around him). And the fact that it was his own custom scent?! I knew he'd enjoy it. After making a couple of calls, I was able to get us a "party" reservation for that evening.
The spot was super quaint and when you walked in so many beautiful aromas hit you in the face. Our party host escorted us to the back where there was a spot set up just for him and I. There were sooo many fragrances to smell and play with (almost an overwhelming amount!). We had fun smelling each one, talking, and sharing this new experience together.
In the end, he walked out with his own custom cologne that he named "Roc Wit Me"and I walked out with my own custom perfume that I named "Tigress" (which I'm obsessed with!).
If that doesn't sound like enough...the celebration of his birthday hadn't ended:
Yesterday (his actual birthday), I surprised him with a secret project that I'd been working on: a video with birthday messages from family and friends! One of his top love languages is words of affirmation, so I knew that the kind words from people that he loved would mean everything to him! (He loved it!)
That afternoon, I surprised him by taking him to Topgolf. Topgolf opened in Greensboro a few months ago and neither him or I had been yet. I figured this was the fun that the day needed!
Topgolf is such a unique experience - it combines the feel of both bowling and mini golf (on a much larger scale, of course!). We had fun each taking a stab at hitting the ball as far as we could. By the end, Quentin was really getting the hang of hitting the ball. For a first-timer, he was looking good out there and, most importantly, he was enjoying this experience on his birthday.
To finish off the night, I'd planned to complete one of Quentin's main requests for the day: to eat at Elizabeth's Pizza on Groometown Rd. But I had something else up my sleeve...
He'd been mentioning how he'd like to do something with family. I'd planned that night to surprise him with our family coming to dinner - my mom, grandma, and sister and his great aunt.
There was one monkey wrench to this surprise: my family.
I'd told my mom specifically to text me about arrangements for that evening. How come less than 30 minutes after I texted those instructions, she called me...while Quentin was sitting with me. Not to mention, my sister Asante called Quentin to wish him happy birthday...and to apologize for not being able to make it to dinner.
*sigh* ....I hadn't even told him about family coming...but, of course, he knew now lol
We had a fun time at Elizabeth's Pizza talking and enjoying each other's company and Quentin's heart was full with having family there! In the end, his birthday left him feeling like a champ...and so did I as his wife.
The truth is, for the longest time, I never would've pictured this being a part of my life - planning my husband's birthday. For years, I felt hopelessly single. But everyday with my husband, I'm reminded of God's faithfulness. Not just the fact that He answered my prayers and sent a man, but the caliber of man that He chose to send me:
A man after His heart.
A man who's kind and compassionate.
A man who's confident and brave. A man who's responsible and conscientious.
A man who challenges me to better.
A man who's fun to do life with.
A man who loves my family and that my family loves.
Therefore, it's such an honor to be able to celebrate not only my husband each year, but also to praise God for His love and faithfulness. He sent me a champion!
How to celebrate husband's birthday | How to celebrate December birthdays
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