Summer Happenings: Dad's Surprise Party

My dad turned 60 this summer. On his actual birthday, we celebrated as a family with a quiet dinner at home and a surprise appearance by my older brother, sister-in-law and nephews. We even took a family photo. It's not every day that we're all in the same place at the same time!

My mom told my dad that my brother and his family showing up for dinner was his big surprise. They drove in from the Charlotte area for dinner. That was a pretty good surprise for a milestone birthday, right?

Well, in the back of all our minds, we knew that there was a party waiting for my dad at the beginning of August. For several weeks, my mom worked painstakingly at planning and keeping the party a surprise. We were all looking forward to the night of the party so the secrets and stories could stop. =)

On Friday, August 5th, we celebrated his birthday in style. That day, since us ladies were preparing for a baby shower on the 6th, we used the excuse that we needed to take care of shower stuff. So, with that being the case, my dad, my brother and my nephews would have to stay occupied on their own. They went out to lunch and took my nephews to see the Smurf movie. Meanwhile, us ladies were out running errands to pick up the final things and decorate for the party. It had nothing to do with the baby shower the next day and everything to do with getting things done for the party while the boys were out. We had a limited amount of time to pull off our game plan.

Turns out, that was a tip for my dad. When the boys returned home, he noticed that nothing in the house had changed from the night before. (I had been there on Thursday and had half decorated for the shower.) "What have you been doing all day?" he asked my mom. "We went to Target, Party City and BJ's," she said. And we did. Just not for shower stuff.

Something else that tipped him off was the mysterious disappearance of his camera. That morning, I snatched it up to use at the party. Turns out he was looking for it that afternoon. Oops.

Maybe I get my super awesome detective skills from him?

In spite of the tip-offs, the party was great fun. Everyone had a wonderful time of fellowship. We enjoyed a slideshow of my dad throughout the years and hearing stories of my dad when he was young. The food was delicious, the location was super fun. I'd call it an almost all-around success!

Happy 60th Birthday to the world's best Dad!!

Location: White Collar Crime

Catering: Cooper's BBQ