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Happy 50th birthday Mark

The big 50 is a big deal and I wanted it to be extra special for Mark. I made reservations, but kept everything a secret and kept him guessing. It was really bugging him that he didn't know the  plan and kept asking thee  kids, his parents, his hired guys, and me over and over about the plan. I really think he thought I was throwing him a big surprise party. I kept assuring him that was not the plan and hoping he wouldn't be disappointed. We had an event every weekend the past month with a Halloween party, his dad's 80th birthday, Thanksgiving, and Titus's birthday all with the extended family. I thought a quiet weekend would be nice. When I booked all the plans for December 7th, I was unaware that it was on  a Thursday. Mark was ok with  taking the day off to get away and it was probably less busy because of it. We started the evening by getting dressed up. I told him that we needed to dress really nice, he wore a suit and tie and I wore a new outfit I bought for  a special occasion. We drove to Des Moines for part one of the evening, we had dinner reservations at the 801 Chophouse. I chose the location based on our previous date to Des Moines, when he tried to call and make reservations and they were booked . He had always wanted to eat  there. We both ordered the smallest cut and the least expensive of the options, which was still about double what we have ever paid for steak. Everything on the menu was pricey! We were indulging because you only turn 50 once! The dessert was on the house and Mark ordered cheesecake and it was delicious. We had a nice dining experience. We parked in a parking garage and it turned out the garage was in between the concert, restaurant, and hotel. I could have not planned it any better and it was all coincidence. It was a lovely evening, so walking a block was nice. The second surprise was the concert at the Temple Theatre, " An Irish Christmas in America." I knew that Mark enjoyed Celtic music and I came across information for the concert. It was a small venue in the Temple Theatre in the Downtown area. It was a great performance and we really enjoyed it> All the band members were native from Ireland and the accent was so that it was almost hard to understand. The played several songs, many Christmas, all Ireland, and did some dancing. It was a nice concert. The last surprise was the hotel stay at the Des Luxe. The hotel is 112 years old and had a $10 million renovation in 2001. we love our historical buildings.




The Masonic Temple of Des Moines is a historic Beaux Arts style building located in Des Moines, Iowa. Constructed in 1913, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1997 (under the name "Masonic Temple of Des Moines").[1] It was designed by the Des Moines-based architectural firm Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson. The building was listed on the NRHP for its architecture, as part of a 1988 multiple property submission.[1][2] It was then one of 25 known surviving Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson buildings in Des Moines and is one of two known lodge buildings designed by the firm.[2]: 10 

Friday Karen had a  family birthday dinner for Mark. Lori, Troy, Torrie, Jossie and her family, Libby and her family, and our family attended. Ali and family had covid, so could not be there. Karen fixed 10 lbs of mashed potatoes and fried chicken. That is so much work and she did it all on her own. She also had green bean casserole. It was a nice small quiet gathering. The kids don't get too loud. Everly is quite entertaining running and being silly. She came in flicking her braid around making sure everyone saw it. She admires Elsa from the movie Frozen and wants to be just like her. She loves when you notice her hair, shoes, or outfit. She proudly told me she had paint on her "fingies." 





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