Yesterday was my Hebrew birthday and today is my English one. Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE birthdays. I love my birthday; I love your birthday; I just love birthdays. What’s not to love? The fact that I’m here for another year means that I’m HERE – the alternative is not a good place to be. And…it means that I have a special day that’s all my own to enjoy.

It’s not too often that I find the time to do something for myself. With five kids, a few jobs, and a busy life, who has the time? But, on my birthday, I always treat myself. Yesterday, I took myself out to lunch, got a pedicure, and had a delicious sushi dinner with Josh. Yehuda came home from school with drawings for me and the boys all wished me a happy birthday. I heard from family and friends, wishing me well, and enjoyed watching my Facebook “Happy Birthday” wishes grow. Today, I’m going for a long walk with Zeli and to the mall with a friend.

So, what was has been the best part of my birthday? Josh came home early and surprised us at the park yesterday. He had a sheepish grin on his face and he whipped out a bouquet and handed it to me. How sweet, you say. He brought you a bouquet of flowers. Nope. He brought something much cuter than that.

Someone at his office makes balloons into shapes of all sorts, and Josh had him make me a balloon bouquet. It included about 15 balloons that had been twisted into the shape of budding roses and tied together into a “bouquet” of flowers! They teased him at work that he was being cheap for my birthday – but Josh knows me well.

This is the stuff that life is truly made of. I told Josh that it was worth a thousand flower bouquets. It’s not often that you can make someone laugh, while also giving them a thoughtful, unique, and free gift that says “I love you” and “I’m thinking of you.” And, giving a gift that shows that you really know the person – and what they will appreciate – is worth all the fancy gifts and big showy items in the world. Life truly is all in the details.

Here’s hoping that my life will keep coming up smelling like roses – balloon roses that is!