YAY!!

Himself's surprise was a real surprise. I was stressing so much I started getting a cold sore, however! On Saturday I went to the party store to get decorations, I went to Cost Plus World Market to get some British Goodies (Heinz beans in tomato sauce, namely for $1.79 a can- yikes!), some Cadbury candy bars (toffee crisp, double decker, flake, crunchie...), and Pickled Onions. Then I went to the Tudor Rose Tea Room, where half the restaurant is a 'corner market' and I bought 2 bottles of Irn Bru, Black Pudding, Tattie Scones, Irish Sausage & British Bacon. I also found Walker's crisps (Wooster sauce flavored), and cheaper Cadbury chocolate. And GRAVY GRANULES... whoo hoo!! Stovies, here we come! I should make that for dinner tonight :-)

Saturday night I had a surprise party for my chorus director to go to, so I left two bags of these British Groceries out for himself -- with a note saying this was the beginning of his Birthday Weekend... and as incentive to get up earlier on his only day off, to cook a 'proper fry up' breakfast. He knew we had lunch reservations at PF Changs at 12:15pm. So we had breakfast at 9am, and so eating at 12:15 wasn't impossible... he's thinking that is all his birthday is really going to amount to...

We had a chocolate cake with a candle at the restaurant, sang Happy Birthday, and while I'd told him there was something else going on that day, he really thought that was it. We're walking out of the restaurant and he says, "So, home then?" And I (gleefully) replied, "Yep!"

His fortune cookie said something about he would be receiving an unexpected visitor, to which I replied, "I wish!" -- and went on about wishing I'd had more time and blah blah blah...

When we sped past our usual parking spot at the complex, he gave me a funny look and said, "What's that all about?" to which I replied, "Well, this is the part when it is hard to make up anything reasonable, so just follow me.... we're heading to the clubhouse." He spies the red & black crepe paper, the "Happy Birthday" sign on the wall and a balloon... and wants to run away. Luckily, I suspected he might bolt, so I am holding his hand.... he says, "Is this for.... me?" And relunctantly walks in the door, where Ann is waiting to take a picture of him... and he walks around the corner and about 30 people are waiting. His worst nightmare, really.

It was a bit awkward for about 30 seconds, and then he realizes he knows some of the people, that relatives are there, as well as some good friends, and friends he hasn't seen since he's been living in the states... I have scrapbook albums out for people to look out while waiting for us to arrive... our wedding album, the 2002 album, the 'Scotland Overview' album, as well as our 5 year anniversary album and his paintball album. This, if I say so myself, was an inspired idea because it gave people an idea of what our life was like, what our wedding was about (and it has how we met, as well as photos of the Scottish wedding in North Berwick etc...).

The radio dedication came out, and drat - the recording didn't work out! But we all heard it, and some people welled up (me included) - and himself was just mortified... but his embarrassment wasn't to be over yet.

At 3pm we cut the cake (some guests had already had to leave by now... so I didn't get pictures of Gail & Karl, for example) & sang Happy Birthday.


The Valentine Quartet came and thoroughly embarrassed him, if he wasn't embarrassed enough...
And then it was time for gifts ~ people who asked me what to get him I told to get him Best Buy gift vouchers ~ so he's raking in enough (along with the recognition vouchers he's already received from Intuit for doing such an outstanding job so far...) to get a pretty decent surround sound stereo/theatre system for our entertainment center when we move out of the apartment and into a house...

The Haggis I'd ordered online had arrived on Wednesday, so I hid it in the fridge all week, and then re-wrapped it with the freeze pack and styrofoam... so he was well-pleased with that! I'd kept his mum & sister's b/day cards back and gave them to him with all the other gifts. He received a funny gag gift from Rosalie and John, and some "Old Fart" beans from the Brubakers, a great cactus arrangement from Gail & Karl, another Rocket from Mary... (!), and a Buffalo Wings restaurant gift card from Shari, and mom's red fleece from LL Bean will be arriving hopefully before tomorrow...

The party started breaking up around 3:45 or so, and we had things cleaned up (with much appreciated help from Mary & Marcia, not to mention Mom, Larry & Dan) by around 4:45.

It was so much fun, and as usual, you don't get to spend a lot of time with anyone... but it does increase my intention to make a bigger effort to make plans with good friends and get out and see them.

I'm exhausted, and now need to get back to real life! er... fun work!! :-)