22.

Warning: There is a lot of shameless bragging in this post.  So if you don't want to read about how awesome my birthday was, or how amazing my husband is, that's fine.  I understand.  I don't really care for internet bragging.  But I figure, hey, I can get away with it every so often.  Especially around my Birthday.  

But in all honesty, this was the best birthday I've ever had.  

I suppose I've never been super enthusiastic about birthdays.  Yes, they're exciting I suppose, but I've never really had one that was that stupendous.  Enjoyable is the better word.  Which is perfectly acceptable to me.  I loved having just plain old enjoyable birthdays as a kid.  No pony rides, no blow- play-houses...just family, Olivia (my best friend), cake, and presents.  I didn't even go to a bar on my 21st birthday.  So what? 

But this birthday threw my entire birthday-world-view for a loop.   Golly, I never realized birthdays could be so fun before.  And all because my husband is super amazing.  Thing I've learned since being married: husbands make everything better.

Alex's Super Cool Boss told him he could go into work a little later which was wonderful.  I was brought breakfast in bed (delicious, fresh, warm chocolate croissants), and we were able to spend a good portion of the morning together which was so so lovely.  When Alex left for work, he beckoned down from the sidewalk for me to go to a window in the pantry.  Sitting on the windowsill was this iphone case:

and a note informing me that he had set up a special Birthday Treasure Hunt with one clue leading to the next (22 clues for 22 years).  I LOVE TREASURE HUNTS.  Each and every clue was very well hidden and cleverly worded.  I had to go digging in the salt cellar for one, and opening this pen for another: 

(see that little piece of paper in there?)

Every few clues there was a little gift to go along with the clue, like these lovely patterned tapes I'd been lusting over for weeks: 

There was a clue stuck to the back of this butterfly's frame, and one in our corkscrew...  (Did I mention that on the other side clue paper he had written a dear memory we had shared together?)

There was a rather tricky step involving some invisible ink.  I had to warm the paper with a flame, and, as you can see, the entire paper almost went up in flames in the process.  The word I eventually discovered was "Laurie". 

Laurie had given us this awesome silver urn that we have up on a shelf.  Inside the urn was this GOLDEN shimmer sugar (all I've ever wanted!) and a fortune cookie. 

Yes, the fortune cookie had the clue inside it.  He's just that good. 

This was one of my favourite clues.  You can read it for yourself.  The letters seen through the holes were V, O, D, and A.   

Add the K? Vodka. 

(Inside this wine cooler there was a Wusthoff Knife Sharpener.  EEE.)

There were clues hidden in the oddest places, like in the peep hole of our front door...

And the glass globe on the light fixture.  

Part of the hunt took me on a walk to Trader Joe's, where Alex had hidden clues on bags of Raw Almonds, Christmas Jingle Jangles, and under the shelves of the Honey Nut O's.  

Those clues brought me back home to the coolest chalk pencils!

The tile clue led me to a beautiful orchid, and an even more beautiful love letter.  Thanks, best husband ever.  

One of the most amazing things was that one of the clues led me to this cashmere J.Crew sweater:

I owned this sweater in the past (J.Crew stopped making it long ago), and it was my favourite sweater of all time (isn't it just perfect? Look at those lovely sleeves!).  Somehow I lost it at college, and I've been mourning its loss ever since.  I cannot tell you how many times I've looked on eBay or craigslist for this sweater but to no avail.  Leave it to my husband to find the exact same sweater and hide it in our bathroom towels as part of a treasure hunt.  Did I already say he's the greatest?  

The rest of the day did not fail to disappoint.  Luckily, Baby Burch cooperated all day so I was feeling good enough to go downtown.  We stopped in at the Art Institute for about an hour or so (free for Chicago Residents on Thursday nights!), and then went skating at the Ice Rink in Millennium Park.  Alex, for being "really bad at skating" did a remarkable job.  I hadn't been on skates in so long, and it was delightful.  

(What's extra awesome about this place is that it's totally free if you bring your own skates!)  

After skating, we went home, ordered in Thai Food (another one of my favourite things), and watched a period drama.  Best Day Ever.  Thank you, Alex, for being the most thoughtful, kind, wonderful man I've ever known.  You make me feel like the luckiest woman alive.