Hitting the BIG 25

As many of you know, I am almost a Christmas baby. If you're birthday is remotely near Christmas you already know what I'm getting to. Christmas birthdays STINK!!! Shew (as Cam would say). Well mine is on the 22nd. Yes, 3 days from Christmas. Close enough to Christmas for people to forget but suddenly remember when they see you at Christmas and say, "Oh well your present is your Christmas and birthday gift together." This, my friends, is the ultimate "I forgot!" My favorite saying, however, comes from my dear old parents. "You can open a Christmas present early on your birthday!" Yay! How exciting? NOT!

This year was completely different from any other birthday I have ever experienced or could have ever imagined. My husband Brent who is the most WONDERFUL man in the world gave me the most thoughtful and memorable birthday, which I don't think he'll ever out do. Did I mention I love him? Oh I do, and not just because he got me the greatest gift ever. It's because he is so thoughtful and sweet. Well, and, I must confess he let me live a dream (you're going to think I'm a complete loser so please do read on!).

You need a little background for this all to make sense. If you know me at all, you know that I am a One Tree Hill fanatic. There is no doubt that if I'm not in class on Monday nights, I am glued to my TV awaiting a new episode of One Tree Hill at 9:00 on the CW. Even when I am in class I'm sitting thinking about all the things that could happen tonight on One Tree Hill. I have seen every episode, and I still get excited to see the reruns on Soap Net when I'm home from school during the week or on Sunday afternoons. Yes, I love my OTH (one tree hill)

Back to my birthday story...For the week building up to my birthday Brent began by leaving me a note on Monday morning before he left for work. It was a riddle that led me to the first clue as to what he got me for my birthday. I totally didn't get the first riddle because it was poorly written (no matter what you say Brent)! Finally, I got it with a little help from my sweet, sweet teacher friends who knew all along, but were threatened not to tell me. The answer to the first clue was "The River Court" (this is where the characters from OTH play basketball). After that clue I said, "Oh my goodness, my husband is the best...He is taking me to Wlimington, NC where OTH is filmed." All my sweet, sweet teacher friends kind of discouraged me from that statement, and after talking with Brent and hearing him complain about money (which he never does), I was convinced that was not what I was getting for my birthday. The only other solution was that he was getting me season 5 of OTH, which is a great gift, but I have to admit that I was disappointed.

He gave me another clue and the answer was Club Tric (the club that Peyton helps Karen run). At this point I was like, "Brent, why are you even bothering giving me clues b/c I already know it's season 5." Ring-a-ling goes sweet, sweet teacher friend Casey's phone with a text that reads, "She thinks she's getting season 5 so just go along with it." Brent sent this after my comment.

When I went to pick up Cam from Nana's house after I got out of school, I was "snooping" (according to Chase) through the presents around her Christmas tree. I just happened to pick up a present and asked who's it was. It was mine! Yay! It was also from Chase. The minute I lifted I knew what it was. (This is how Chase views my guessing--- He says that every time Brent and I went to Best Buy I would go pick up Season 5 of OTH and carry it around and carress it through the store only to put it back on the shelf to leave me longing for the next time I could hold it when we return to Best Buy---thanks a lot for calling me a loser Chase!) It was Season 5. Brent and Chase carpool to work so when they came in the door I said, "I have something to discuss with you, Brent. I know you don't have season 5 for me because Chase bought it for me for Christmas." Aha! Of course Chase said that I was acting like an eight year old snooping through the presents. Who does that anyways? Well, you now know I do. I bet Chase will hide my present next year! So now I knew that it wasn't season 5. My next thoughts were it's the seasons I am missing (2& 4).

Well, Brent gave me a clue on Wednesday before Christmas break and the answer was Paris Hilton. I couldn't figure out what she had to do with OTH b/c she hadn't been a guest star. After school my mind began to wonder and imagine great things, but surely there was not a Hilton hotel in Wilmington...WRONG! After searching the internet and all the clues he had given me, I thought I had figured it out...We're going to Wilmington. When I came home I began to get on the site to bring up the Hilton on the Cape Fear River and Brent told me that my predictions were in fact correct. Am I the luckiest girl in the world or what?

Brent had everything arranged. He mapped out places to visit, and he even arranged for Camryn to spend the weekend with her bestfriend Taylor.

We stayed at the Hilton in a really nice room, but in my opinion it was way overpriced and I felt way out of my social class staying there, but it was great b/c you could see the river court from our hotel room. We went out Friday night to get some grub. I was on the phone with Danielle (checking on Cam) when I saw it...C/B (clothes over bros) only one block up from our hotel. How awesome! I told Danielle, and she said, "well if it's not too expensive, could you pick me up a shirt?" Wow...she really is a blonde deep down inside:) You know I love you! I had to explain to her that it's not a real store that sales real clothes...it's just pretend. Too funny!

The next morning we got up early and we sight seeing. Wilmington is truly a beautiful place, but some parts are quite scary! We walked on the River Walk, went to CD Alley, saw Brooke's, Felix's, Peyton's, and Lucas' houses, keith's auto shop, the River court, and went to Screen Gem Studios where OTH is filmed. It was an amazing day. I got to sit on the bleachers of the River Court where Chad Michael Murry and James Lafferty have sat so many times. I really thought we were going to be shot by a drive by when walking to the bridge that is shown in the intro to OTH before the shows on seasons 1-3. It was in the GHETTO! We saw the school where the outside shots of Tree Hill High are filmed. Best of all we toured the sound stage and sets of Nathan and Haley's house, Mouth and Skill's apartment, and the inside of Tree Hill High School. It was such a neat experience. The only thing that could have made it better was if I could have been an extra and gotten to meet the cast members. Too bad they wrapped up filming the day we arrived huh? Oh well, it's definitely a trip that I would love to take again.

So how was hitting the big 25? I would say that it was quite awesome thanks to my WONDERFUL hubby. I love you Brent! Thanks for making my 25th birthday the best EVER!