SURPRISE

HAPPY 44th BIRTHDAY STEVE.

I have never been one to keep secrets, but I managed to pull off a pretty cool surprise for Steve's birthday party this year.

We often co-op babysit with our friends, Laurel and Marcus. A few weeks ago she asked if I would ever consider doing an overnight swap, and I figured why not? The girls get along well and now they are familiar with one another's houses and parents, so we tried it. We did not go very far, nor were we gone for that long, but it was AWESOME. And, Steve knew nothing about it beforehand. He thought he was meeting me downtown for a fundraising event for work. When he arrived to the hotel, he discovered that we were staying there and that he had an in-room massage scheduled upon his arrival. I met him shortly afterwards in the lobby for a cocktail. Then, we met four other couples for dinner, and there were almost 20 of us at the deuling piano bar. We slept in. Got some breakfast. Ran some errands (to Home Depot - where else?). And went home. When we got home, Carolyn was not even all that excited to see us. And, her friend Elise did not want to leave our house at all. So, I told Laurel to take a break and leave her with us. When I took Elise back home around dinnertime on Sunday, the girls cried when they had to say goodbye. So, I guess you could say that the overnight swap was a success. We will try it again later this fall when the other couple wants to getaway for an anniversary "vacation." Some photos from the piano bar ....