The Big 30...

I'm officially old now, my son informed me. Thursday started out pretty crappy... I had to work all day, by myself without any other office help or company. My boss apparently forgot about my birthday, and was super cranky by the time I got home that evening. Steve also dropped a bombshell that we were having a real estate showing on the house, so he really needed my help sweeping and mopping the hard-wood floors. Mopping is no easy task considering it has to be done by hand in our house. In addition, I managed to conquer 3 loads of laundry before he finally told me to go upstairs and "make yourself pretty" 'cause he was taking me out for dinner on my birthday.

I asked him where we were going, and he replied with "remember how you were talking last week about how you've never been to the Melting Pot? Well, I made reservations." So we drove the back way trough town to get there. Traffic was horrendous. It was raining, dark, and there was a sold-out Jeff Dunham show at the Tacoma Dome nearby the restaurant. As we began looking for a parking spot, Steve yells "Oh shit!" and begins patting his pants. "I forgot my wallet!" I quietly ask what he wants to do. There was only 3 minutes left until the reservation and it took 20 just to get there. He said, "No worries. I'll just call and see if they can bump us back a few." So he calls, and says "The next available time they can squeeze us in is at 8pm. Is that too late? We probably won't have time to go dancing afterwards... I'm sorry, baby." I said this was ok, and that I was kinda tired anyway. And we begin to drive back up the hill towards home.

As we approach the house, he exclaimed "Oh yeah, I got you a card!" and fumbles through his coat, handing the red envelope to me. "You should read it." as he parked.
"Right now?! It's pitch black! I can't see a damned thing..."
He chuckled, and said "Ok, I guess you can wait until we get inside. I'm just excited for you to read it is all."

Hmmmm...

He unlocked the front door, flipped on the entry switch, and immediately I notice that there is something on my clavinova in the dark living room. At that point, I couldn't tell what, exactly, it was - just that it was large. He then flipped on the living room light and I saw sparkly dangling things hanging from the cornice, and suddenly about a dozen or so heads peeping out from around the corner, one of which was holding a purple and orange "birthday diva" hat out for me to wear.

"SUPRISE!!!"

Boy was I! I've never had a surprise party before, and it was totally unexpected. If I hadn't have been so darn excited, I probably would have cried right then and there. It really made my day. Even my mom and dad showed up, which in itself was an event. Everyone laughed, ate, and partied until it got too late for some of us to handle. The few who remained joined me and Steve in a humorous hand of Apples to Apples.

It was a great party and I was so appreciative of everyone who came. Steve was a super sweet guy for pulling that off so well, and knowing who to contact to get everything together. I have the best friends in the world. It made turning 30 pretty fun. :-)