It all started on Friday after a marathon PLC meeting (more on that in a later post). I loaded up and headed home for the weekend for the first time this year. When I got home, I had to start my latest project.
You see, my oldest sister, Gina, had her birthday this past Thursday (the 23rd). About a month ago, her mother-in-law called my mom and told her that she wanted to have a surprise birthday party for Gina. They were already having a baby shower for Gina's brother-in-law, and she wanted to turn it around and surprise her! Of course, my mom and all the rest of us were great with this plan!
So yes, my project had something to do with Gina's surprise party. If you remember, I mentioned making a turtle cheesecake for Jeremy's birthday back in July. A few weeks ago, Gina made mention to me that she wanted a cheesecake of her own for her birthday. Knowing about this party and the fact that I wouldn't be able to make it home for her actual birthday, I jokingly told her that she would have to do without, while in the back of my mind, I thought about making one for the surprise party. When my mom and I were finalizing some plans earlier this week, we decided that I could make two cheesecakes, both turtle, for the party. Because of the time it takes to make two cheesecakes, I knew that I would have to do this on Friday as soon as I got home. This was great, minus one fact: Wyatt comes to our house after school, along with Cody & Kyle, which means that Gina picks him up, and there was no possible way for me to get that wrapped up by the time either of them would get there. So, my mom and I came up with our story (or we lied to her, but I don't feel like it's lying when it's for a surprise party). My story was that I was going to make cheesecakes for my boss, because she was having a dinner party and wanted fresh cheesecake, but didn't have time to make it herself or drive to OKC to the Cheesecake Factory, which is actually a halfways plausible story, believe it or not. Also, the catch was that my boss was paying me, which is why I took it on. *wink, wink*
I was almost ready to bake the cakes when Gina got to our house. She longingly looked at me preparing them when my mom chimed in and told her our "story". I'll suffice it to say that Gina was NOT impressed, because she really had her heart set on turtle cheesecake and was hoping that I was possibly making them for her. It was so hard for me to not crack and say something, because she was pretty forceful in everything she said, but I knew that the surprise would be so much better!
That night, we had a family steak dinner at Gina's house, which was when I gave her my present. My mom and I went half and half and got her a certificate for a massage, and she absolutely loved it!
This next part has nothing to do with the party, but was still a huge part of my weekend...I ran another 5K! I'll say a little more about this later, but I'll show you a highlight picture!
After the race, I came home and Emily & I started making a few cupcakes to take along. This is the testament as to how much we love Gina, because she is always the one making cakes and such for us, and she does such a great job. Also, cupcakes madden me in ways I can't explain, so I just don't make them. Ever. As the afternoon progressed, Emily, our mom, and I all reached outside of our usual tasks and channeled our "inner Gina". We frosted cupcakes with a frosting bag, we used sugar sheets to decorate said cupcakes, we (actually, that was just mom and Em) made a banner out of 12x12 scrapbook paper & cardstock, and probably a few other things that currently escape me. Although we were all hesitant as to how it would work, everything turned out perfect! We couldn't believe it! (However, I will probably still let Gina frost cupcakes...it might've been easy with the frosting bag, but that just isn't my thing.)
After I made a mad dash to get ready, Tevis arrived at my house. Since he was off for the evening, he agreed to join us for the party! My dad didn't get off work until around 4 or 4:30, so Tevis & I rode down to the lake with Emily's crew. Cody & Kyle ambushed Tevis with an almost constant stream of questions, exclamations, and various toys of theirs. I think it is safe to say that they missed him.
We got there when the baby shower was still going, so it wasn't too obvious that anything was up. It was about 6:00 or so, and it was almost time for us to start changing parties! The plan for that was that Emily was going to take Gina with her to Walmart because Cole was "out" of formula...*wink, wink* :)
Once they left, we all flew into action getting everything set up. Tevis, being the amazing man he is, took it upon himself to take six children under 9 to the park area that was up the road a little way. (Have I mentioned how much I love him lately?) Since we had no children to herd, set-up only took about fifteen minutes! About the time we got everything set up, though, the sky started to darken. We knew that there was a possibility of rain, but we had high hopes. No such luck. As soon as we had got everything up, we had to take most of it back down. That was about when Tevis brought the kiddos back and the sky broke loose. It poured. You would've never guessed that we hadn't received rain in months, the way the rain was falling down. It never fails to amaze me how crazed some people become when a storm comes in...especially when a good amount of people are crammed in a relatively small space, like a porch. I could say more, but I won't.
At about 7:15 or so, they got back and came in through the pouring rain! Here is the sequence of photos when she realized what was happening...
I realize that the first picture isn't the world's most flattering picture of her, but it really sets up the next two...Picture #3 is when the surprise set in, btw!
Then, we showed her the cheesecakes, and she almost started crying, because she felt bad about everything she said to me on Friday, and she was so excited about everything! All in all, I'd say she loved it! A while later, one of her friends from work showed up, which surprised her even more! I wish I would've got a picture of them, but I didn't :(
The rain really never stopped during the party; it just varied in degrees of heaviness. Since he had to be at church this morning, Tevis and I made the trip back with Emily's crew, also. My parents thought about staying the night at a friend's cabin, but changed their mind when the weather came up and my dad ended up not feeling as well. Had the weather actually held up through the evening, it could've been a much later night, but we were all on the road by 10 or 10:30. Honestly, I was exhausted from my race, and the fact that I had been up since about 5:30 that morning because of the race. Emily's car was the place to sleep because everyone behind the front seats fell asleep at some point in the trip. Cody & Kyle were out before we even got to the highway, Cole fell asleep shortly after getting on the highway, Tevis dozed for most of the rest of the trip, and I was definitely out for about the last 20 miles.
Nothing eventful happened today, besides all of us enjoying a lazy day at home. All in all, it was a great time, and I am so glad that the party went off without a hitch! Happy Birthday Gina, and many, many more! Love ya!!! :)
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