Priceless Giving

So, Friday night Thanh and I went out to dinner for his Birthday!!! The restaurant we went to was not very impressive. And we actually left more hungry then we were when we walked in. How does that happen?
So, for my Birthday present I told you all that it was TOP SECRET! I have a hard time keeping a secret when it involves presents and my family. Christmas is sooooooooooooo hard and the kids know it too. I couldn't for the life of me think of an amazing gift that would knock Thanh's socks off but not break the bank.  I arranged for one of his Best Buds from Him school to come for a visit.
We have had so many obstacles and negative situations in our life for a good few years now. And I know that it takes a toll on you after awhile. Which is why I wanted to give him a BIG surprise. He recently started talking to his friend again after not seeing him in 8 years. Life just built this wall around us and we have focused on family and getting by one day at a time. They were friends through high school and college. And after college we went to CA and he went to TX and now lives in Minnesota. When I contacted Todd he was so happy and more then willing to come out for a weekend. And even better he was scheduled to fly out here for work in a few weeks. So, his job will be paying the ticket we just have to pick him up on Fri. and take him back on Sun. It just couldn't be any better. And now that he knows how close we are to his CA office we are sure to see more of him.
I gave Thanh his card and told him that I had a present for him, he looked over at me and I held up a sign that had Todd's name on it. I swear he had tears in his eyes. So the fact that we were hungry didn't really matter, because he was so excited about hanging out with Todd. I did good this year, now I have Mahala's Birthday next. Yipeeeeeeee!!! I love surprising my family. Seeing their face light up and watching their eyes shimmer with delight is priceless.