PractiGal: They Got Me

It was Monday, August 1st. We were all scurrying around my sister's house doing what needed to be done to begin the day - showering, dressing, feeding children, laughing. I had decided that I'd make dinner that night, so I had a list of things I needed to buy for dinner. My husband was busy doing some electrical work for my sister, and I figured I'd go to the store while our little boy took his morning nap. There were plans to have the host sister's special friend (I think that's what she calls him, vs. boyfriend... maybe it's a 40-something thing) come over for lunch, so I thought I'd get the dinner ingredients lined up during the before-lunch-nap window of free time.

I announced that I was going to go to the store.
me: Do you think they'll have what I need at Giant? or should I go to Wegmans?
(Giant is closeby, and Wegmans is a bit of a drive)

My sister reviews my list, and proclaims that I should go to Wegmans. She's looked for some of those things at Giant before - they only have the basics.

OK, so that's what I'd do...

My other sister dashes in to announce that she's going to the store for tampons. Hmm. Odd, with a house full of women that there are no tampons available. She says she needs the super huge ones. Um, ok. I bet there were some there. Whatever - we all have our idiosyncracies.

I put my son down for a nap a little after 10 and announced that I was going to go to the store once I was sure he was asleep. I informed my hubby of the plan. His response - 10:00? Isn't that a little early? Um, well, he's rubbing his eyes so I'm putting him down for a nap. He's tired. (Duh)

On my way to Wegmans I passed my sister who'd made the tampon run - she was coming from the direction of Wegmans. Hmm. Odd. I'm sure she could have gotten what she needed at Giant or a nearby drugstore. Oh, she probably went for a Starbucks fix while she was out. That's her addiction. Oddity dismissed.

I picked up what I needed to make dinner, along with some flowers for my sister. It was the least I could do -- she was hosting all of us at her house.

On the drive home, I came upon a dollar store and thought about stopping for mylar balloons for the kids. My son LOVES balloons, and I figured my young niece and nephew would enjoy them too. But I knew we wouldn't want to travel with them, and my sister might not want them hanging around the house after we're gone. Besides, I really needed to use the bathroom, so I continued driving.

When I returned to my sister's home around noon, my hubby greeted me in the driveway to help carry the groceries in. Sister's special friend (hereby known as SSF)'s car was out front, so I knew he'd arrived for lunch.

I carried the last of the groceries in, along with the flowers for my sis. As I entered the kitchen, they all yelled...

SURPRISE!!!

Everyone was wearing party hats, there were balloons, a cake with a photo of an 11-year old me on it, and music blasting -- "Today's your birthday!"

What?! For me?!

I was completely surprised. Yes, I had noticed some odd behavior on their part, but no, I didn't suspect that anything was up.

Since my 40th birthday is coming up on September 1st, they decided to have a little surprise party for me while we were all together. I was so touched and happy. Just being with my family and my sisters and their families was the best birthday present I could ask for -- this was icing on the cake.

SSF is a professional disc-jockey; he had his equipment with him and was prepared to play whatever I wanted to hear. But first, they insisted that my husband and I open the dance floor, so we danced to a Tracy Chapman song. Then we all broke into the Chicken dance, YMCA, and the Hokey Pokey. SSF put on a mix from 1983 - the year I graduated from high school. We had lunch and cake, and then there was karaoke.

Have I mentioned that I love karaoke? This was a surprise birthday party with karaoke. Sweet! In my single days, I used to go karaoke-ing regularly. I even did karaoke on our honeymoon.

My husband video-taped a lot of it. We look like a bunch of goof-balls, especially me, honestly. There was no alcohol involved; I usually have at least one beer before karaoke, but I guess I was high on life that day. I just belted it out. My selections included Top of The World by the Carpenters, I Feel Lucky by Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Love Shack by the B52s (that was a group number). There were a few other solo acts and more group songs. Yes, it was FUN! Karaoke in my sister's family room - what a hoot. The little ones did some dancing but mostly looked at the adults in bewilderment. I know this is a side of me my son hadn't yet seen. I sing around the house and in the car, but not usually with a microphone and a crowd. We all had a blast.

It turned out that my sister's mad dash to the store for tampons was actually a trip to pick up the cake at Wegmans, and my husband thought I was doing the nap & leaving too early, because he knew they had to get the cake and that the entertainment committee needed fair warning to get over to the house and set up. And they wanted me to be gone for a while, so my sister said I needed to go to Wegmans because that was the furthest drive. Sneeky!

They definitely got me. I had no clue it was coming. My birthday is a month away, and I hadn't even considered that they might try to do something while we were all together. I kind of like beginning the celebration season early though. I'm used to celebrating throughout September with various friends -- since my birthday is on the first, a lot of people don't remember it 'til after the fact, once they've flipped their calendars onto the new month, usually a few days into September. I'm used to that. Besides, September is always a hectic time, with back-to-school activities and all.

So this year, it's been kick-started, and I get to celebrate for August and September. What a way to mark the 40th! I'm so lucky to have such a great family... They don't usually read my blog but I'm sending them the link to this post, so hopefully they'll read this.

You guys rock. Thanks for the awesome party! I will remember it always. And I love you...