How Einstein Bros Bagels Saved My 40th Birthday

mearts & entertainment

I love to celebrate my birthday. It's March 24th, but every year I start celebrating in small ways starting on January 1. But this year was different. This year there was nothing small about it, because I was turning 40. And 40 meant a party, but not just a party—a huge celebration, right?

I mentioned my excitement to my husband about the upcoming HUGE event I'd be having. You know, the one he had obviously already started planning, right? Wrong! When I expressed my pure joy at the thought of my fiesta, he pretty much started hyperventilating on the spot. What? It was 3 months away. What was the deal?

Apparently, no party could ever meet my expectations. He kind of had a point.

I thought it'd go away, but not so much. Then March rounded the corner and I could see he wasn't moving forward. That's when I made a decision. I didn't want to plan my own 40th birthday party. But, I wasn't turning 40 without one. I definitely didn't need a surprise party or something beyond grand. I just wanted a simple event with my closest friends—nothing huge. And, I loved planning events, so I didn't mind helping behind the scenes. Why not be a silent partner in the process WITH my husband instead of expecting him to create the perfect event all on his own?

When I mentioned my proposed involvement to @troypattee (as I now call him), he leaped for joy and the party planning began.

All the details were in place with the exception of food. It was Monday and the party was scheduled for Friday. I encouraged Troy to get a caterer, because then he wouldn't have to worry about the food. He said he had it all taken care of, but I knew this meant he was planning on heading to the store the hour before the party to grab the necessary items. Since I'm currently participating in an Einstein Bros Bagels campaign, I thought it'd be great to check out their catering menu and see if they had more than bagels to help accommodate my birthday party feast. I especially liked the huge fruit tray, so @troypattee ordered that. And good thing he did.

Friday afternoon, Troy, Mr. Dadventurous that he is, took the kids to their ski lesson at Park City Mountain Resort. On the way back, a car accident closed the canyon and he was stuck in traffic for 2 hours as he made his way to our home. He arrived 20 minutes before the party started and still had to shower. Fortunately, he had picked up the fruit tray earlier in the day.

There are lots of morals to this story, but honestly, all's well that ends well, right? We got to the party on time. All the guests enjoyed yummilicious fruit while Troy sneaked off to buy the rest of the food, and I enjoyed a fabulous evening with my closest friends, ushering in a new decade of awesomesauceness (my new favorite word!). What's better than that?

Party planning can sometimes be stressful. What party planning tips do you have?

Photos courtesy of Flickr here and here.

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An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.

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