The Husband's Birthday Celebration Streak

My dear husband celebrated his big 3-0 birthday last Friday. Since he’s been such a sweetie the past few weeks, I thought it’s only but fitting to celebrate his birthday the entire weekend (from 24th – 26th July). And so we did.

24th JulyIt was a TGIT, which is the end of business week here in the UAE. After the husband picked me up from work at half past five, we proceeded to Garhoud to have an early dinner at Oriental Kitchen. We stuffed ourselves crazy, so by the time we finished, we could barely walk back to the car.

sushi lover

elongated cutlery

We also went to Party Centre to buy some metallic balloons, party napkins, plastic utensils, plates and cocktail cups & stirrers for Ryan’s party the next day. I love going to this shop! It's filled with all the party goodies you’d need for any occasion. The first time we went there, we spent a good hour just going through various sections of party stuff for kids and adults alike. It was a haven for party lovers like me!

After snatching the items we need, we headed straight to Deira City Centre to do some grocery shopping for Ryan’s party the next day. We also planned on catching the movie “Dark Knight” but when we got to the cinemas section of the mall, we saw that it was jam-packed! Not our kind of movie experience so off we went. We decided to just chill at home instead of squeezing ourselves with all those people in the mall. Ryan settled himself in our bed and played with his PSP, while I worked in the kitchen and living room areas. When the clock struck midnight, bessie, K and I surprised Ryan with a chocolate cake mousse cake with a candle. We also gave him our gifts, too. He wasn’t expecting another gift as I had given this present a few days ago:

40 GB Playstation 3 Metal Gear Solid 4 pack

Little did he know that this cookbook below was just some sort of a decoy because something else was in store for him the following day:

for a Jamie Oliver fan

B & K got him a nice Adidas shirt with an Anime design on it. Of course, Ryan was surprised with this unexpected birthday eve celebration just as usual.

25th July
The next day, we packed some stuff we needed to bring to the hotel for Ryan’s birthday party. Just like my birthday, we stayed overnight at the iconic Dusit Thani Dubai with the very same neat package that my cousin had arranged.

Throwing a party in a hotel is always so convenient, especially when you’re booked in a suite. You have your own living room, kitchen and dining areas which you can utilize well, not to mention that clean up is also fuss free!

Before checking in at the hotel, we had lunch first at Uno Chicago Grill at Deira City Centre. I had Shrimp Scampi, a light but delicious pasta in angel’s hair, while Ryan had the Grilled Shrimp and Sirloin, grilled medium well, which is an absolute perfection.

I tipped the receptionist that Ryan's celebrating his birthday that day so right after we had our sumptuous lunch, a group of waiters came by our table cheering for the husband with the Uno Chicago Grill birthday chant, while another waitress carried with her a special chocolate dessert with candle. You guessed it right…Ryan was again caught by surprise!

The reason we actually made a pit stop at the Deira City Centre was to get Ryan’s new toy an accompaniment. and what do you think goes well with a PS3 and a party? What else but a Guitar Hero! That’s my 3rd gift for him.

gift number 3

The moment we dropped our stuff at the suite, the husband began to connect the PS3 to the 46-inch plasma TV and tried out his new loot. His inner kid was roaring so wildly!

Guests started to arrive at half past six in the evening. For dinner, we served Chinese food and Dominos pizzas (to go with the beer), all delivered straight to our suite’s doorstep at 6:00 pm (see, it’s totally hassle-free!). We also ordered Krispy Kreme glazed donuts for a sweet fix. We did stock up on a few bottles of liquor, some sodas and juices, too so everyone mixed their own cocktails as they wished.

Of course, a birthday ain’t complete without a birthday cake. Since Ryan loves chocolates (and I love coffee…hehe!), I ordered Tiramisu cake from Hediard. Seemed that the guests liked the cake because most of them asked for seconds.

Ryan’s party rocked big time! The hall was filled with boisterous laughter. Our source of live entertainment was Ryan’s new gaming console with games such as the funky Guitar Hero (which played rock music till dawn), Fight Night 3 and Ninja Gaiden. We were having so much fun that we didn’t realize we were being too loud already. A hotel security even came knocking on our door at around 2:00 am to shush us up because the room below us had already complained. The ruckus went on till about 4:00 am. The hubby and me collapsed in bed as soon as the last guest had left.

gamers on the loose

26th July
The birthday boy and I woke up at 9:30 am to have breakfast at The Californian. Hubby couldn’t get over his new toy so he excitedly wore the shirt that came with the Guitar Hero pack. At the restaurant up the 24th floor, we delighted ourselves with pork bacon, Thai crab fried rice, sausages and other delectable breakfast servings from their buffet table. Aahh, the joy of real food!

We didn’t leave the hotel without making a stop over at the Club Executive Lounge for some afternoon snacks. Their scones were a must-try -- simply divine!

We went home tired but happy from all the happenings that took place in the last couple of days. I just hope this birthday celebration streak proved memorable to hubby.

Happy birthday again, honeybear! I love you so much!