What a weekend! OK, well, it's now Wednesday...but for me the weekend just ended because I'm now home from a 7 day trip to western PA. "Why a 7 day trip for Thanksgiving?" you may ask...Well for me this holiday was more about the Surprise Birthday Party for my dad's 70th year on earth. His actual b-day was Nov. 16th, but knowing we'd be "home" for Thanksgiving, we planned the party for the 27th. BOY was it a surprise! He never suspected a thing! Not an easy undertaking for 40+ guests, 3 little grandchildren who love to spill the beans, and a boatload of phonecalls back and forth which my mom had to "take" in the bathroom. My husband and I decided about 3 months ago that we'd like to plan this for my dad. He's the kind of guy who never really gets in the spotlight. We decided that for one year, that needed to change!
Though it took alot of man hours, tons of planning, secrecy, one location change 7 days before the event, and crazy running around town the day of the big event, we managed, by God's grace, to pull it off!
Here was the menu:
Sweet and sour meatballs
Parmesan Rosemary Pinwheels
Mini-quiche
Spinach dip
Shrimp dip/crackers
Artichoke dip/tortilla chips
Veggie trays/dip
Cheese, pepperoni, and cracker trays
Chex mix
Nut trays
M&M's (for the kids, of course...lol)
Large Sheet Cake...Delicious! (Must get at Giant Eagle)
Neapolitan Ice Cream
Coffee
Punch (sherbet, etc.)
All of this had to brought in about 4 hours before the party and prepared on-sight. Not an easy feat when we were living under the same roof as the birthday boy for the week! He didn't see the trunk-full of party supplies!
My wonderful husband spent countless hours scanning old pictures, selecting music, and piecing together a wonderful 15 minute video of my dad's last 70 years. What a gift! And what a keepsake for our family to have! I am indebted to Keith for all the hours he sacrificed his own time to do this for our family.
One of the best parts of all was that (nearly) my entire mom's side of the family was able to come. I haven't seen some of my cousins in about a decade. Not to mention their kids! I haven't seen my little second cousin (now 19) since she was a flower girl in my wedding 16 years ago. Now she's all grown up and a freshman in college.
All in all, it was a good weekend. I was also able to score two major purchases for Christmas at seriously reduced prices (black friday) including a DS-I for $89! Kmart was completely out of their promised DS lite, which was a good deal at $89, so the manager sold the first 12 of us in line the DS-I's for the $89 (which normally retail for $170). I prayed the night before, knowing that my early waking (5am) could come to nothing. God answered above and beyond what I imagined!
I could go on, but mostly, I just want to say, it's so good to be home. For however long God gives us our home here in Lancaster County, I want to make the most of it.
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