50th Birthday Surprise!

I know this is a long BLOG post, but I can't say enough about how great my birthday was. Thanks for reading...

On the actual day of my birthday, DeAnna and I went out to eat. The girls called to wish me a happy birthday. Even Andy called me and we had a nice chat. I told them that it was nice to have a relaxing birthday and that we were getting ready for a week of hosting DeAnna's mom. Most of the week I had spent cleaning and organizing the house getting ready. All-in-all a low-key series of events.

Friday was just another work day and that afternoon, I did the final touches on the house. DeAnna came home from work and fixed some tuna casserole for us to eat after we picked up her mom. I must confess that on the way to the airport, I started feeling a little sorry for myself. I planned to spend a lot of time over the weekend by myself downsizing my music room and organizing stuff.

We made it to baggage claim and waited. DeAnna was anxiously watching the stairs, but I knew that her mom couldn't walk very well, so I watched the elevator in the opposite direction. Suddenly, DeAnna jumped up in front of me and said, "I have a confession to make... I lied to you... my mom isn't coming." She turned me towards the stairs and said, "Happy Birthday!"

I glanced towards the stairs, but didn't understand and turned back to ask her what she meant. She nodded to look again. I turned and gave a serious look towards the stairs, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. At that time, a tall guy stepped right in front of me and drew my attention. It was best friend from OKC, Milford! Wait, Jessica and Julia were with him! WOW!!!

I was speechless! They all smiled real big and said, "Happy Birthday!" I hugged them all and still wasn't fully believing what was happening. I must have been smiling, but confused looking. We walked to the car talking about how they were going to stay for the weekend. It was fabulous! Milford started talking about everything and didn't stop. The girls sat in the back seat with DeAnna while we drove out into the sub-zero landscape home.

When we got home, we ate the tuna casserole (the girls liked it and commented on it). We gave them a tour of the house (with the notable exception of my junky music room). and settled in the living room to visit and chat. After a while, DeAnna went to bed and I stayed up with the girls until 11:00pm or so. I had to get them all hooked up to the internet so they could e-mail their friends and update their BLOGs...

We got up early Saturday morning and I took them to the Original Pancake House for breakfast - all the while talking and visiting (DeAnna went to breakfast with a friend). The thermometer in the car read -15. They were all impressed. After breakfast, the girls wanted to give Milford a tour of the Mall of America, but it was too early for the mall to open. I drove them into downtown Minneapolis to see the city

After that, I drove to a park with a lake beach to drive out onto the ice. Milford said, "Look, we're walking on water!" The girls smiled nervously and we returned to the relative safety of icy pavement. We drove over towards the mall, but went to IKEA first. Jessica and Julia really love that place. Milford took notes for inspiration for new projects. After a while, we went to the mall.

By this time, the mall was pretty crowded and it was hard to "shop" and talk, so the girls went to a couple of stores and Milford and I toured the interior of the mall. He was greatly impressed with the scale of the place. Around 2:00pm, we left for home.

When we returned, everyone got comfortable and we did some more visiting. DeAnna reminded us that she had made reservations at 'Buca' (an Italian restaurant) and that we needed to leave at 6:30pm. It was wonderfully pleasant, relaxed conversation and though we were all still full from the big breakfast, we left for the restaurant on time.

I drove the car, so I dropped everyone off at the door and parked in the far side of the parking lot. When I got in the door, no one was around but DeAnna showed up and motioned for me to come with her. I weaved my way through the crowd to a back room. As I walked in the doorway, DeAnna said, "Happy Birthday!"

The room had a large table with many of my good friends already seated. There was a large "Happy Birthday" sign on the wall. I was given the birthday boy crown and seated between Jessica and Julia at the middle of the table. I saw several pictures of me as a kid or teenager floating around the table. Everyone had written a birthday wish on the back of the pictures. It was really neat!

We ordered up the food and everyone visited for a few hours but before we left, the waitress showed up with a candlestick and loudly announced to the whole place that it was my birthday. I was 'encouraged' to stand on the chair and dance while holding the candle. Everyone sang and laughed. When we returned home, the girls and I stayed up to talk as we did the night before. It was wonderful.

Sunday morning, Milford and I went up to the church building early so I could do a little work on the church audio system before worship. DeAnna started some brisket for lunch and the girls joined us at 9:00 for church. After church, we returned home and were joined by my best friend, Kevin. Lunch was really great and after we ate, everyone stayed around for hours and talked.

Jessica and Julia joined in the conversation. I enjoyed discussing things with them as adults. They held their own with a bunch of old people. Eventually, Kevin left and we retired to the living room for a relaxing evening until it was time to leave for the airport. DeAnna had arranged a late flight out to OKC and though it was a late night for the travelers, it was a wonderfully extended time for me.

We watched Jessica, Julia and Milford go through security and drove home. DeAnna had really pulled off a wonderfully happy series of events! She is absolutely great! Not one person spoiled the surprise. I am truly blessed to have such friends and family, but I am most blessed with DeAnna's love and support.