Surprise Birthday Bash...

I tried to be sneaky...I'll admit it. I wanted to do something special for Ron's 50th Birthday...but I was scratching my head. I wanted it to be a surprise (he's a hard one to surprise) and I wanted it to be fun and memorable (I'm all about giving "experiences" as gifts, we all have enough "stuff" in our lives). So I had my work cut out for me. It was a friend from work who sparked the idea. She had gone to or mentioned something about the DuPont Theater and that there were some neat shows coming. So I was internet surfing one night and checked it out. Low and behold my mission to have a fun experience based surprise party for Ron unfolded before my eyes when I saw this:

Yes, that is right. Monty Python's Spamalot. I got the giggles just typing that in! (This is our type of humor). I started envisioning Ron with his best buddies going to the show together, laughing hysterically at the gags that we all laugh at in the movie. So I started looking deeper...oh no! The show is only here for a short time. Happily it worked out so the guys could make it - I bought the tickets and whoop! We had a plan.

I had told Ron that we were going out that Saturday to do something special to celebrate our Family day. The trusting soul that he is (he leaves all of the social calendar items to me) he just went with it and said ok. I told him he had to wear a collared shirt...I let Maddie pick out her own clothes (which, as expected, turned out to be a dress) and said we'd be going out around 12:30.

At 12:30 the guys arrived...I gave him a wrapped box and said "Happy Birthday". He opened it up (well, ok, Maddie opened it up) and inside was a piece of paper that wished him a Happy Birthday and a photo of the Spamalot poster. Got him! He was surprised. It got even better when I told him that Maddie and I weren't going that this was a "guys day out". So they happily drove into Wilmington for the show.

Morgan, Ron, Maddie, David & Calvin - the guys all ready to head out to the theater.

While the guys were gone, that's when everyone else arrived. Surprise part two! I went out shopping to get the food for the party while everyone else decorated the house including the shrubs in the front yard. The only issue I had shopping was when I went to buy all of the balloons from the party store. I have a small car. It was quite amusing trying to fit the big 5 and 0 in the back seat with Maddie in her car seat and then 12 regular balloons in the "passenger area", I wouldn't say passenger seat since they spilled over to every open area in the car.


I think they did a pretty good job. When the guys got back from the show (which they said was good) Ron was surprised again, twice in one day (BONUS!) and we had a lovely little dinner and desert with family and friends.

A nice bonus me was my Dad bought me flowers that day! Very sweet - Thank you Dad!