The Garrison Family: Matt's SURPRISE 30th Birthday Party

Monday, March 19, 2007

Matt's SURPRISE 30th Birthday Party

Last Friday, March 16th, I hosted a surprise 30th Birthday party for Matt in Kirn, Germany. Along with 10 other friends, I was able to completely surprise Matt (which is rare) with a Whisky Tasting at the Kyrburg Whiskey Museum, one of the largest whiskey museums outside of Scotland.

The Kyrburg Castle was built in the 900's and destroyed by the French in the 1700's. The only things

that survived the French invasion were the remains of the castle and the first floor and cellar of the Whiskey Museum. Upon arrival in Kirn, Matt didn't seem very excited that I had 'kidnapped' him from work (I had everything planned with scheduling so that he would be finished with work around 3pm) to take him to this random town. So, to increase his excitement, I finally told him why we were there--for us to go to dinner in the castle and have a scotch tasting. That brightened him up a bit, but he was clueless about the events to come.

Complete with a 3-course Scottish dinner, the night was nothing less than spectacular. The night started with a greeting of a bagpipe rendition of 'Happy Birthday' and 2 of our good friends waiting for us inside the castle with champagne. After another aperitif and bonfire reception, we pushed inside the restaurant for the start of the dinner. It was at our own reserved table that Matt was then surprised by 8 of our other close friends. He thought the night was just going to be the two of us, so having 10 other friends there was such a surprise.

After dinner, we were escorted down into the 400 year old cellar

for the formal Classic Malts of Scotland tasting. The cellar held over 3,000 different scotches from around the world. It was unbelievable. None of the girls tried the single-malt scotches (we stuck with wine), but all the guys loved it.

The night wasn't complete without a Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse birthday cake adorned with candles and a Fresh Fruit Tart which I had made (I had a friend bring them so Matt wouldn't see them!) especially for the party. As a gift from the Whiskey Museum, Herr Kroll, the taste-master, gave Matt a sampling of a single-malt scotch from his birth year, 1977 (which is very old, since it had already sat in a barrel for many years). I thought about buying a bottle to give Matt, but it was 320 euro, so I decided against it!

At 0130 in the morning, we all made it back to our hotel in Kirn and woke up the following morning to lots of funny stories and re-caps from the night before. In all, everyone had a great time and my mission was accomplished--to truly surprise Matt.

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About Us...

Matt and I met on April 14, 2001 in Glendale, Arizona. I was in college at Pepperdine University and he was in F-16 pilot training at Luke AFB. We met through my brother, Matt (Goat), who was also going through pilot training at Luke. The two Matts met their freshman year at the Air Force Academy where they were assigned to the same squadron and lived next door to one another. Despite Matt being friends with my brother since 1995, we had never met one another before 2001. I fell in love with Matt at first sight and he fell in love with me shortly thereafter. We were married on October 4, 2003 in the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy-it seemed only fitting. God has blessed us with almost 5 busy, exciting, and wonderful years of marriage. In that time, we have lived in 3 states, 2 countries, run in over 20 races (combined) in 6 different countries and 5 different states, traveled to almost 30 different countries, and have have been blessed with the most precious and beautiful little girls.

Ava Holt was born at 3:05 AM on November 1, 2007. At 2 weeks early, she weighed in at 7 pounds, 11.4 ounces and was 20 inches long. Ava Holt is a dramatic yet easy going little soul. She loves attention and is always happy. She is incredibly observant, freakishly strong, very independent, and a very fast learner. Her curiosity fuels her day, as she fills her hours getting into anything and everything under 5 feet in height. As much as she loves me, she loves her Daddy even more. She is the epitome of a 'Daddy's Girl' and the highlight of her day is when Matt gets home and she gets to perform, laugh, and squeal for him. Then, when her Daddy gets in her way, her favorite person in the world is her baby sister, Myla Grace. From the moment she met Myla Grace at the hospital on the day we came home from the hospital, she was smitten. There wasn't a jealous bone in her body, only pure love. We are beyond blessed to have the miracle of Ava Holt in our lives. Oh, and did I mention that 'You Are My Sunshine' is her FAVORITE song? The apple didn't fall far from the tree, as it's mine too.

Sweet Myla Grace was born at 5:04 PM on December 2, 2009. At 3 weeks early, she weighed in at 7 lbs, 0.4 ounces and was 19 inches long. Myla Grace is so disgustingly sweet. She is our cuddly little one who prefers to be carried and or held when at all possible. While sweet and cuddly, she also loves to destroy, dismantle, and disassemble most things within her reach...all while flashing the most precious of smiles. And through all of her sweetness, she has the uncanny ability to make you laugh all day long. Maybe it's the mullet she's had since birth, the gummy grin (which is starting to blossom with teeth), or her serious smirks, but whatever it is, we can't get enough. Although Myla Grace was a complete surprise, we can't imagine life without her. She is absolutely Ava's little buddy (whom Ava affectionately calls, 'the little one,' 'Mywa Grace,' and 'Mah-la.'), Amy's cuddle bug, Matt's giggling partner, and the most beautiful little blessing.

Harper Lee was born at 3:28 PM on May 31, 2013. Also arriving 3 weeks early, Harper weighed in at a hefty 6 lbs, 15 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. From the moment she entered this world, Harper has been the happiest, calmest, smiley-est {if that's even a word}, sweetest, and easiest baby we've ever had. She NEVER cries and is so incredibly easy going...to the point that I thought something was wrong with her. And unlike her big sisters, Harper has always been on the tiny side of small. After several rounds of tests when she was 6-months old to make sure she didn't have any development or growth problems, the Doctors came to the conclusion that she is just going to be "petite." So despite being in the 5th percentile for her age, our precious Harper girl is absolutely perfect as the tiny little package that she is. Oh, and did I mention that she is the BEST eater in our family? This sweet girl can mow through food like a 10yr old! I am a believer in miracles and Harper further confirms my faith. Her existence is a pure miracle (not to mention an ultimate surprise) and we thank God all the time for giving her to us. We thought our hearts were complete but we had no idea how big of holes we had until she joined our lives. Her laughter, giggles, rambling babbles, smiles, and 2-finger sucking are constant reminders that we are recipients of so much undeserved grace. At 21-months old, Harper's favorite things are cats (she calls them "nows"--her way of saying meow), dogs ("uf-ufs"), Ava ("aw-buh"), and balloons ("boons").