Surprise!!

Lloyd and I were having a nice quiet weekend, quietly celebrating my birthday on Friday with a lovely home cooked lobster dinner for two.  I usually have a combined birthday/Mother's Day celebration with Mother's Day sometimes falling exactly on my birthday.  This year there was a day in between.  I heard from all the kids on Friday, via phone calls and facebook messages.  It's always nice to be remembered, and this was a milestone birthday - my 65th.


On Saturday some of my grandkids were involved in a TaeKwonDo festival.  Sara texted me, with a picture of Charlie and her newly won silver medal.  She invited us over later in the day so I could have my picture taken with Charlie and the medal for Sara's blog.

So Lloyd and I went over, and here's what followed:

I went in the front door...

A huge bunch of people yelled "Surprise"
My jaw dropped...

My hand flew to my face....

And my eyes began to leak.

For the first time in my life, I was given a surprise party, and I had absolutely no idea it was being planned.  And it wasn't just a random surprise party.  Sara had arranged for all the out-of-town kids and their kids to be there as well...they drove and flew into Edmonton without me having any knowledge of their activities.  Sneaky brats!

I spent the rest of the evening alternately laughing and fighting back tears (I cry at anything remotely emotional).

I was greeted by a gang of grandkids

I greeted my kids and their spouses

Once I caught my breath I was shown to the cake table

Me and Lloyd

The beautiful owl-themed cake was baked and decorated by a very talented family friend.  That book with my high school picture on it,  beside the cake, brought more tears.  It was a scrapbook Sara compiled of me through the years, with pictures of all the kids and grandkids and beautiful notes to me from each of the kids and many of the grandkids.  It has become an instant treasure. And the frame behind it contains an artistic rendering of all the sayings I used consistently through the years that the kids  associate with their childhood.  Things like "in a pig's eye", "sheer ice", "holy lifting", ToadyOodie Baby", etc.

 After a delicious pot luck dinner, it was time to blow out the candles.  The kids always like helping with this part. (I'm glad they settled on having just five candles).  And after the cake was cut and everyone had a piece, there wasn't a crumb left.  I did manage to save two of the large paste owls from the side of the cake. I'll find a way to scrapbook them.

 Then we went outside for pictures.  The sun was shining low in the sky and cast sunbeam streaks on some of the pictures, giving them a heavenly appearance.

Me and Lloyd

My bff Mickey was there to help me celebrate

Me and my girls

My beautiful daughters - Sara, Emily, Jenny, Emily and Amy
We forgot to get a picture of the boys :( . They were busy chasing
their kids.

With our kids and their spouses - Mary's husband, Greg, was the
only family member unable to attend.

Lloyd and I and the kids - Sara, Amy, Mary and Mike
Rob, Emily and Jenn

Lloyd and I and the grandkids.  I won't name them all but
trust me, there are 20 of them...our oldest one towering over us.

And finally, the whole gang...aren't we a crowd!

It was the best birthday/mother's day ever!  And I never did get my picture taken with Charlie and her silver medal.