Birthday WEEK!!!

YIPPEE! Anyone who knows me & Marcus knows we celebrate Birthday WEEK. This tradition is one of our personal favorites. When you are born in the months of December or January Christmas tends to inch its way into your birthday gifts or activities.
Marcus was born on December 8, 1979. He turned 29 this year. Ever since we began dating we began this celebration. It means that for 7 full days your birthday is celebrated. At what point before or at your birthday it starts is at the discretion of the BIRTHDAY-EE. Marcus chose to begin on December 7, thus his week ran from 7th - 13th (now we had a Christmas party for his work on his actual birthday so we made the end date the 14th so he would have full days). Anyway, the activities that you provide for the Birthday-ee can range from a simple movie night in to a movie night out. You can choose to give a gift a day or only gifts on their birthday, for the week the birthday-ee does not have to participate in ANY household regulars, i.e. laundry, cooking, cleaning, dog stuff. For one week you are basically free of the responsibilities that are normally split. You also get to choose your favorite meals, get to control the remote control, or wander around in your underwear if you want to. It is a free for all. Now after 11 years of these weeks they have evolved into different requests & such for both of us. I find myself each year wanting specific dinners & desserts, Marcus has a set few things that I make special just for him once a year. Now a lot of you are like: um - that is a lot of work for one half of this equation. Yes it is. But its only 7 days & its for the most important person in your life. We both look forward to it every year - even for the other person.
So Marcus' week has been FULL of activities & prizes. We have really had a blast this year. Movies, dinners, shopping for Christmas presents, laying around & being lazy... just being together.
We went up to Hoover Saturday morning to do some more shopping and let me tell you the economy might be in a recession, but someone might want to let consumers know. That mall was insane! Not only in the mall but the majority of Hoover's police force was on the perimeter having to direct traffic - the PERIMETER. I mean come on people can't we all figure out how to stop at a stop sign without running someone over? Anyway, we found a few items - hit Macy's up for their big sale. We then met MaryAnn & James for lunch at J Alexanders. GOSH I love that restaurant! :)
Saturday night we went to the second Christmas party of this holiday season. We have 3 more so far. Saturday was so much fun! The group that was together is a good group. A good many are musically inclined so a guitar, amp & Christmas carols were the end of the evening. It was a blast. Good food, good friends.
Sunday was the laziest we have been in a while. I did not exactly feel up to par and so we were curled up with hot cocoa & Christmas movies for 90% of the day - then I just fell asleep at like 5 and dozed off and on. I NEVER sleep during the day! I did get up and cook supper but then conked back out again. It felt great - until I was awake at Midnight & could not sleep...yeah...