My Big Fat 30th Surprise Party

Earlier this year, I am quite certain I told D1 that I did not want a surprise party when we were discussing birthday options for the big 3-0. I think it's because I'm somewhat of a control freak (shocking, right?) and I need to know what, when and where for everything.

So the story goes like this --

About a month ago, D1 told me that his name had been drawn for a gift certificate to Red Lobster. Yum-o! We love us some RL. Unfortunately, babysitters aren't so easy to come by for our trio so we had to plan it out. And we were actually able to secure overnight sitters so that we would have an entire night to ourselves. Finally! It has seriously been at least two years. So this past Saturday was the big day. Earlier that morning, D1 handed me the gift certificate. I opened it and informed him that it got switched with another certificate made out to a co-worker for the Olive Garden. He said it wouldn't be a problem, he would call the secretary (Katie) that handles them and we could swing by and pick up the RL certificate on our way. Whatever, I didn't think anything of it. We got the boys to their sitters, got ourselves ready and headed out. On the way to get the right certificate, D1 gets a phone call from a friend, who was telling him that his daughter had been attacked by a dog and was in pretty bad shape at the hospital. In hindsight, I should have known that it was a bit over the top and that D1 probably should have been freaking out a bit more but I bought it - hook, line and sinker. So I'm trying to listen to the details of the story but we pull into Katie's driveway and he can't seem to get off the phone so he nudges me to go to the door get it. Seriously? What am I supposed to say? Hey, his friend's kid is hurt....can I get the free money for cheddar biscuits? I mean, a little weird. So I go to the door......



When the door opens, I am speechless. And confused. Can you tell? I remember thinking, 'What are you doing? Get back in the car! I am starving and we are wasting precious time!' Oh, but he had roses. Still confused. Then a second later, 20 of our closest friends pop out and scream SURPRISE! It was awesome! If you can't hear the poem he gave me to read, it basically said that I was having a casino night party (all for charity - no gambling, thank you!) with a spread of food, some 'beverages' and BLACKJACK! D1 knows I love to play so it was perfect. When we all got us some food in our billies (borrowing d2's lingo), we huddled up to hear the rules of the game. This is where I learned that my friends had come together to celebrate my birthday with me but at the same time, we were also donating to a great organization, the Frazee Dream Center. We raised $250! Then came a toast from D1. And it was like everything else - perfect! He just really thought of everything. Everything! He knows I have a love for music so he hacked into my iPod in the recent months (because he had been planning this party that long!) and noted my favs and then had them burned onto CDs to play at the party and for me to keep. Love it!


The rest of the night and most of the next day, he unveiled all the pieces that I should have picked up on but didn't. A big one - in the week leading up the party, we had thrown around some ideas on what to do on our date night after dinner - movie? Nah, nothing out that was worth wasting our money on. Baseball game? Nope, too hot. Shopping? His response was a quick 'Yeah, that sounds good.' Um, what? He would NEVER agree so quickly to shopping. Never. Ever. I still think it was probably my giddiness of a full night sans kids that I didn't care if we stared at the walls - we would be able to stare in silence. I know he was thrilled that I didn't learn of the surprise - especially given how many times I had been around all these people in the days leading up to the party AND how much they like to talk (which is why we all get along so great!). He changed his passwords on all email/FB accounts, created fake contacts in his phone so my friends could text him pertinent pieces of info,etc. It really could have fallen apart somewhere along the way but it all worked out!















I had such a great time! I truly am the luckiest girl in the world to have married such an exciting, loving and giving man who would stress himself out so long just to make me feel so incredibly loved! And yes, I am still a girl. I may be turning 30 but I hear life doesn't REALLY begin until after 30 so BRING IT!


ETA: Thanks, friends, for keeping your lips sealed. Especially when I look right at you (ahem**Laura**ahem) just hours before the bash and you lie right to me. Actually, you didn't lie right to me....you wouldn't look at me at all when you were giving me your plans for the night. An evening with the in-laws? Riiiight:)

ETA#2: Watching the video back, why did not one of you brutally honest friends point out my pudge? Thanks.....