Happy 40th Birthday, David!
For 15 amazing years, we've built a life together, and through it all, his unwavering kindness, love, and support have been the foundation of our family.
His dedication as a father is nothing short of inspiring. Our kids are beyond blessed to have him as their dad—someone who is engaged, present, and full of wisdom and warmth. His love for them shines through in everything he does.
At work, David is a force to be reckoned with. His hard work and dedication have led him to incredible achievements including graduating from Utah State University as a CPA, moving up through his company with cheerfulness and high skill value, and now, recently being promoted to partner of the National Assurance Office for Eide Bailly. He provides for us in ways both big and small, ensuring that our family has everything we need while never failing to be fully present at home.
Beyond his professional success, it's the little things that truly capture his heart. He always knows how to make me feel loved and supported—whether it's encouraging me in my dreams, offering a listening ear, or even something as simple (yet sweet) as giving me the pickles from his Chick-fil-A sandwich. It's those small gestures that show the depth of his love and thoughtfulness.
His passion for sports, especially basketball and football, is just another part of what makes him, him. Whether he's watching a game or playing with the kids, his enthusiasm is contagious and brings so much joy to our home.
David does so much for our family, and we were grateful for the change to celebrate HIM. His kindness, hard work, and unwavering support mean the world to us. We are so proud of the man he is, and we can't wait to see what this next chapter holds.
We had a small family birthday party for him, where the kids were able to give him their gift that they had all pooled their money together to buy - Utah Jazz tickets for our whole family! Then, because 40 is such a big deal, we invited a few select friends to our home for snacks and games. It was pretty casual - but I gathered a bunch of David's favorite snacks like Chilis chips and salsa, white chocolate covered pretzels, starbursts, 7 layer bean dip, and cream cheese chicken dip. It was fun to have things that were all centered on him and the things that he loves.
I had asked David if he wanted a big party - but he really didn't. (And certainly not a surprise party.) We ended up with 5 couples from all across his life. We had every decade represented except for his years 1-10.
Teens- Jason and Sarah Newbold (High school friends and college roommate)
20s - Mike and Ali Middleton (Met in our Thanksgiving Meadow ward in 2013 or 2014 when Lydia and Henry were still just babies.)
30s - Josh and Janae Freeman (Josh and David worked together at Eide Bailly and have stayed in touch)
Cade and Leah Ward (Our amazing across the street neighbors who have become dear friends)
David and Dani Martin (I met Dani through homeschooling and we've become good couple friends.)
Other people who were invited but nwere ot able to make it: Hayli and Ben (Dickey) Nelson (20s - Shantel's high school friend and college roommate), Garret and Karli Shields (20s - Were the ones who introduced us to the concept of a babysitting swap when our babies were young and we spent many many many months trading our kids for babysitting.) Amy and Derek Perkins (30s - Good friends who live in our neighborhood and have done everything from playing games to traveling to St. George together!)
It was so fun to have this small group of people together - their only connection being DAVID. They were all good sports to come to a party where most of them did not know each other. There were lots of connections made and we all had a really fun time playing games and hanging out. It was the perfect 40th birthday celebration for David.
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Happy 40th birthday David! We love you more than words can express. Heres to 40+ more!
Happy 40th birthday David! We love you more than words can express. Heres to 40+ more!
