Call Me Clueless.

My sister asked me about 2 weeks ago if I wanted to go Christmas shopping with her. HECK YEAH, you don't have to ask me twice! Do two of my favorite things at the same time?! Spend time with my sister and shop?! Sweet, count me IN!

She makes some comment mid week about not going out in sweats & a ponytail and that we should dress decent and wear make-up, it always makes you feel better when trying on clothes. She had a point but I was clueless as to her motive.

10am she picked me up, we went to Target, then to Olive Garden at 11 for some brunch. Then off to the mall and while there she was like preparing me that we'd be out for awhile but she would have to go home "when Dave starts blowing up my phone that he misses me". Girl, please. I've got you to myself, this is our day and we're shopping.

As we exited the mall we ran into my dad & stepmom. That's weird. What are the chances? We never run into them. Heck, my sister & I rarely get out just the two of us anymore and then to run into my dad & stepmom? We chatted really briefly and then my dad said they had to run. That's weird. My dad is usually so warm and welcoming but I really felt the brush off from him. I remarked to my sister as we left the mall that dad was acting all weird that we ran into him.

Still clueless.

After the mall we hit Kohls and man, was I finding the goods! Of course, this is when Dave calls and tells her they should meet at a movie and I was all bummed - I wanted MY time! I didn't want my fun day to end!! So she starts getting all antsy while I was making my final selections and me, still clueless.

"I got a take a shit" she says on the drive home, "I'm going to have to come in".

Still clueless because well, that's my sister and that's how we talk. ;)

We pull up to the house and nothing out of the ordinary.

I see my friend Rachel's son, Willy, in my front window playing and say, "Oh Rachels in town, she must have stopped by".

Clueless.

We walk in, I'm piled down with bags and then I see streamers. and balloons. and people. Lots & lots of people.

"What the hell? What the hell?", I've been told I repeated many times.

A surprise 34th birthday party for me?

What?

I've never had a surprise party thrown for me.

Wow.

My husband did it. He's cooked right in front of me, he's cleaned in front of me, he invited everyone behind my back. No one's slipped, I had no idea, I'm awake at 2am still processing it all.

Either I've got to start paying attention to my surroundings or yeah, I need to start paying attention to my surroundings. I honestly had no clue. Not an inkling of a clue. Not some twinge of "what's going on?", nothing. Pure, through and through cluelessness.

Suddenly it made sense why my sister wanted me to dress nicely and wear makeup. In hindsight its now as Garth explained it, "all part of the plan". My sister said in no way would I want to have walked into that with running pants & a ponytail so she had to say something. She couldn't have been more right.

I had friends & family drive from near & wide and I was simply in awe that some of them drove 1.5+ hours to get here. Especially when some of them are going to do it all again less than a week later for my planned birthday girls night out this upcoming weekend.


It was so wonderful to have those there that mean so much to me and I knew full well there were others not there that wished they could have been. I truly felt the love and am very grateful for it. I needed it.

Kudos to my Garfa. He really pulled a fast one, I really was completely in the dark.

Garth put a ton of effort into it, it was so obvious, he made all my favorite foods and the house was clean and wow, I'm simply in awe of it all actually. It was an effort I really appreciate and am humbled by.

The party was so fun, it was awesome to have everyone sing to me around the dining room table -- I looked around and there was the love. All for me. For me?! The person who feels so worthless and invisible so much of the time?

What an awesome day. To start it off with Garth & the kids, to go shopping & to lunch with my sister and to end it with Garth, my kids, my sister and my circle of family & friends there to surprise the heck out of me. Like I said, I'm still processing it all. My brain feels like its on overload.

If you were here yesterday, thank you. It meant far more to me than you'll ever know and cliche' as that sounds, it seriously couldn't be more true. For those that couldn't make it, I understand. For those who weren't invited but think you should have been, you better get in good graces with my husband & his email address because Sneaky McSneakster had to find some creative ways to get ahold of some of my friends. I know he intentionally wouldn't have left ANY of my friends out.

Thank you Garth. You made yet another birthMONTH awesome for me. I appreciate it, and you, SO MUCH. {muah}