Birthday Boy

I got the joy of spending this past weekend in Pensacola with the Marine. The best part about it was that he celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday! Okay, I celebrated. He threw a fit. Classic.

I found out while I was in Washington DC that the boy wasn't going to be able to make it home for Thanksgiving. I knew there was a chance that he wasn't going to, but I had kept my hopes high that he would surprise me.

We decided in October that if he didn't come home for Thanksgiving I was going to visit him for his birthday. After missing the birthday ball, I wasn't going to be missing both his birthday and Thanksgiving all this month. I'm not given a lot of opportunities to decide what I get to celebrate with him and what I miss, but his birthday is one that I did get to decide. So, of course, I went.

Here's a series of pictures.. I'm simply trying to convince him to smile. You wouldn't think it could be that hard. Say Cheeseburger! I wish..

Not even the birthday hat could get him. There are a couple that get close to a smile. My favorite part is that his eyes are closed in nearly all of them. It's like if he closes his eyes I will disappear. What a mess.

Anyways...

Happy Birthday, Marine! (I'm a few days behind on here, but pretend!) I hope your next 23 years are filled with amazing things! In the 4 years I have known you, you have grown, changed, and become somebody that I cannot imagine my life without. You are going to go on and do great things with your life and I can't wait to see what those things are. You have one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen and I am thankful to be able to witness that. The love you have for your family, fellow Marines, and even me (baha shocking, I know) is something I hope you never lose and only continues to grow. You are one fantastic person, even if you are the biggest pain I know. I love you and miss you. See you soon.

All my love.