I have a confession to make and I hope you won’t be too upset with me. Remember my last post featuring an outfit for John Eric to wear to an engagement party this past weekend? You know, the one with the hunky boxer bod? Yeah...I thought that would jar your memory. I have to come clean and tell you that we weren’t really going to an engagement party. We were actually going to JOHN ERIC’S 30TH SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY! And I must say it was a success!
I’m sure you’ve already figured out by now that I couldn’t tell ya’ll the truth last week because John Eric does his husbandly duty of supporting my blog and reading each and every post. Actually, I usually read them out loud to him first to make sure he laughs. Either way, I had to be sure to play up the engagement party and not give away the slightest hint!
I must say that I’m not sure why people stress so when trying to give a surprise party. This weekend I found that as long as you have great friends it's no trouble at all. We are so blessed with amazing friends and family that pulling this off was a breeze! They are so amazing that I didn't have to ask for their help, they immediately volunteered it. The wonderful ladies helped tremendously by bringing a dish (dish is the Southern term for Hors d'œuvre) and arriving early enough to set up and choreograph the surprise. Now the men on the other hand did not quite hold up their end of the bargain.
You see, that same day the Rowdy River Club was having their 3rd annual Poker Run on The Little Pee Dee River. Everyone was planning to participate, so all the men were responsible for was keeping John Eric occupied and making sure he didn't drink too much. (Don't get the wrong idea. He's not some crazy drunk, but I knew it would be a long day and it's hard to resist a cold beer out on the river on a beautiful day such as Saturday.) I wasn't born yesterday. I knew he would come back a little tipsy. But what I arrived to find at the house later that day was a surprise for me.
Before I go any further, let me make sure I give these men some credit. They are some the finest men who have been family friends for a very long time and have welcomed John Eric into the group with arms wide open. They’re marvelous and a whole lotta’ fun, but I have to give them a hard time every now and then.
Back to my arrival (from mine and Anna’s grocery trip – she came to spend the day with me, help me get ready, and play a pawn in the surprise preparation)...as we returned from the grocery store, we pulled into the drive to find every door in the house (that was supposed to be unoccupied) wide open, a dining chair pulled out on the front stoop (still not sure why because John Eric doesn’t smoke), and John Eric’s shoes tossed in the front yard. Not really a big deal that he was there, but it definitely caught me off guard. We walked in, with hands full of groceries, to find the birthday boy lounging on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, reading his new Archibald Rutledge book. I’m sure Anna and I both thought, “oh good, he is relaxing”, but before we could convince ourselves of that he turns his head to look at us, stares for a second, rolls his eyes like a woman, then says, “don’t worry about me – nope, don’t worry about ole’ Buffy – I can’t believe ya’ll just left me”. We couldn't help but laugh. Either at the fact that he just referred to himself in the third person as "Buffy" or at the whole routine he had just put on. But it was at that moment that I knew he had a little too much fun today. (Later he told me that everyone was giving him drinks and telling him it was for his birthday.)
He continued on with similar antics for a little while, and then decided he wanted me to draw him a bath, get him a drink, and fix him a pizza. His argument for all of this was that it was his birthday. Could you imagine what it could have been like had he known this entire weekend really was all about him? I played sweet wifey and did as he asked…only because I thought I would be able to enjoy a glass solo cup of wine while he soaked in the tub. I was wrong. As it would turn out, there wasn’t a wine opener!!! Figures, right? And before we could finish searching every drawer in the house, John Eric came prancing down the hall leaving little to the imagination, if you know what I mean. By little I mean the size of a throw pillow to be exact.
Dying to know what happens next? Stay tuned for the rest of the story to be posted later this week (hopefully tomorrow & hopefully with pictures).
