Sidney never fails. Every single year—whether for my birthday or Christmas—she finds me the absolute best gifts. Whereas I might lack in the gift-giving department (can’t go wrong with a gift card, right?), Sidney puts forth a major effort to find presents that convey tangibility and thought.

This past week I celebrated my 40th birthday and Sidney once again rose to the occasion. She stuck to the budget we usually hold ourselves to but managed to stretch it and purchase some incredible gifts that I have already used multiple times since Thursday night.

Prior to opening my gifts, we ate Papa Murphy’s pizza and watched “Hook.”

Here is what she got me this year…

Sidney and the kids once again gave me great gifts. This is a look at how they situated everything before I began to open them.

Well, “technically” this first collection of gifts is from Sloan and Beau but you know how that goes 😉. My kids “gave” me a book by Matthew Kelly, filled licorice candy, peanut butter M&M’s, and Scarecrow Crunch trail mix. The latter is simply delicious. Target makes these seasonal snack mixes that are to die for and this fall/Halloween-themed version is top notch. It includes peanuts, peanut butter candy, orange-coated oat cereal, and chocolate-flavored coated marshmallow bits.

Sloan and Beau once again put together a very thoughtful gift bag for me.

Perhaps the one gift I knew was coming, Sidney got me new pickleball equipment. We have outgrown our kids’ set and with more people asking me to play I really needed an upgrade. The kit came with a bag, balls, and two paddles. When I picked up one of the paddles for the first time it first like I had lightening in my hand. I hit our neighborhood courts on early Saturday morning and played a friend who is much better than me but at least I wasn’t swinging around a purple and green plastic paddle toy 😂.

The kids and I hold my new pickleball equipment. I needed this!

Sidney called this her “rogue gift” but I call it the perfect gift. As someone who prefers to read in bed, I have used a personal clip-on light or my phone’s flashlight for illumination over the years. Both methods had disadvantages and were far from ideal. That has now all changed. Sid found me the perfect night light to put on my nightstand. No longer do I have to deal with light sources that only illuminate a portion of the page, causing me to move the book in all different directions. This night light offers a flood of light that makes the words on the page crystal clear. My reading experience is now more effortless and clear.

My new night light makes it easy for me to read when I come to bed.

Last but not least, Sid kept me in a bit of suspense for my final gift. She presented me with the below riddle…

This was the card that a riddle was written on that led me to my final gift.

After reading it, I knew exactly what she was referring to. My current outdoor chair I use for my kids’ sporting events is literally falling apart. I gladly marched over to behind our couch and pulled out my new chair, immediately taking it out of the bag and setting it up in the middle of the living room. But it received greater use than just inside our house. I comfortably sat in it this past Saturday at Beau’s soccer match.

I broke in the chair just a couple days after Sid gave it to me. I used it at Beau’s soccer game on Saturday.

Thanks again to Sid for the truly thoughtful and practical gifts. Although the Scarecrow snack mix is about gone, most everything else will be around to enjoy past many more birthdays. Don’t Blink.

Past Birthday Gift Posts
2025 Gifts
2024 Gifts
2023 Gifts
2022 Gifts