Birthday Surprise

Kevin’s birthday was last week. We had a little family party; later, he and I went to dinner and saw a movie. Then his birthday was over.

Or so he thought! I told him his gift was coming late, which was extremely fun because he always figures out what I’m getting him. On Wednesday afternoon, when he got home from work, I convinced him to take a nap. And, come on, most of us don’t need much convincing to rest. I turned the fan on to mask noise, slipped the hidden lasagnas into both ovens, and readied the house for a par-tay.

A few guests showed up, but we were still missing two families. I called the first man. Let’s, for the sake of privacy, name him “Mr. Pastor.”

Mr. Pastor: Hello?

Me: Hi, I’m wondering how much longer until you guys are here. I’m about to wake Kevin up and we’ll wait if you’re just a few minutes away.

Mr. Pastor: Yeah, we’re just a few minutes away.

Me: Like five?

Mr. Pastor (bashfully): We’re at home. I forgot, totally spaced it, but we’ll be right there.

Guess I better call the other family. Let’s call this man “Mr. Officer.”

Mr. Officer: Hello?

Me: Hi, it’s Christina. We’re going to wake Kevin up for his surprise party and I’m wondering how far away you are.

Mr. Officer: Slight hesitation. We’re pretty close.

Me: You’re at home, aren’t you?

Mr. Officer: Uh-huh.

Me: Well, try to beat Mr. Pastor because he forgot and is coming from home, too.

In the meantime, as we’re waiting for our forgetful friends, the other men convince me that I shouldn’t wake up Kevin. Noooo. That would be boring. The exciting thing to do would be to let them crawl in bed with him and wake him up.

I fell for it, and have the video to prove it.

We had a great time, Kevin was very touched by my effort, and all proceeds were donated to the XBox 360 Timeshare Program. (Kev ordered the system today.)

I’d just sat down after mopping the kitchen floor when I turned to my husband and said, “I don’t feel so good.” From then on, through the dark night and into the wee hours of the morning, a bucket was my best friend. I think I managed a few moments of sleep here and there, curled up on the bathroom floor. Thank You, God, that it held off for the party. I consider that a blessing, a small miracle that shows my Father’s care for me.

The bad news was that I got 2200 words behind while I was sick. The great news is that I wrote just over 3000 today! Back in the saddle, baby!