which means that all the best bits of last week had been filled with many text messages, lots of planning, and a towering stack of secrets.
It all started with a text to me from the birthday girl's friend. We're thinking about a surprise party! It said. Could we? Should we? Would you?
Yes! we said. Definitely!
We baked a cake. Her friends did everything else. Oh, no, wait: apart from the tidying up. I did that, achieving, you'll be pleased to hear, a subtle balance of making enough room for many teenagers, and drawing no attention to my activities at all. By Saturday we were ready to fly.
Amy came round at lunchtime and took the Birthday Girl to Starbucks; and while she was sipping her coffee, she managed a Coast Is Clear message to the others. They began to arrive on our doorstep, bearing banners and balloons, party food, gifts. music..it was a lot like that scene at the start of The Hobbit in which everyone piles into Bilbo's house one after the other. Except these girls are beautiful, nearly grown, so maybe not really like that at all?
They transformed our kitchen. They did more texting. And then they waited for Amy to persuade the girl of the moment that it was time to go home. More texting.
Can you come and get us now please Dad?
And we went. We brought her home and we stood behind as she opened the door and at last saw all of her friends gathered together in one place, away from their studying for a few hours, just for her. It was one of the best parties I've ever been to. They cheered her, they cheered themselves, they cheered us..and at that point we promised to order some pizzas for later and we left them to it.
It was the best of weekends. And me on Monday? That tidying is about to start all over again:
We're adrift on a sea of straggler balloons. Seventy of them, I'm told. Somebody counted.
Have a great week!
Last week Ruth, Helena, Eileen, Fiona, Rinda, Barbara, Jane, Deb, Gail, Sheena and Mardi all gave us a wave and a glimpse into how they were facing up to Monday. Go on, wish them a good one!
35 comments:
sounds fabulous - the best kind of friends and the best kind of fun and the best kind of tidying up when it involved balloons
Oh how lovely! What special friends and I love the main photo of her 😀
How wonderful! That's a splendid snapshot of her - ever so happy!
Oh how brilliant, they'll be talking about that for months! Well done on keeping the secret so well hidden. What a fab weekend.
That is lovely- sounds like your daughter has great friends!! She must be a very special girl for them to want to do something like that for her - you must be so proud xxx
Oh, Sian.....I felt the happiness well up in my chest as I was reading this......I'm *so* pleased you had a lovely time...it definitely sounds like it was the best party ever! Would love to know how you managed, "a subtle balance of making enough room for many teenagers, and drawing no attention to my activities at all"....!!!!!!! It's something they'll always remember: how very wonderful!!!!!
That sounds like the perfect surprise party - I can just picture it happening at Bag End, except with a group of beautiful young ladies. And the (not-so) Small is absolutely lovely!! Tidying up those stray balloons doesn't sound too bad for a Monday, a FUN way to relive the memories of the party!
How lovely for her. Her friends must think an awful lot of her to do that. Hope the tidying up doesn't take too long!
What a wonderful weekend. Happy Birthday Birthday Girl! Balloons are just so cheerful aren't they?
sounds like she has some lovely friends, hopefully you've got all the tidying up done now!
That sounds so much fun! I love a good surprise party. I get all giggly and nervous beforehand waiting for the birthday girl to come in! What special friends she has.
So pleased the secret stayed secret and that the not so small one had a fab time
Jo xxxx
What a perfect weekend x
Wishing her a very happy birthday xxx
How fabulous! Isn't TNSSO lucky to have such amazing friends (and parents!)?!
Awesome recap. Have fun popping all those balloons!
Loved hearing about the wonderful party. I'm sure this will be a memory that stays with your daughter forever. Sounds like a terrific group of friends.
oh yes...how lovely...for her...her friends and you. The big smiles say it all. Happy Birthday to TSO x
This is such a lovely post. What a great capture of your gorgeous girl. It seems to me that it shows just how she felt when she realised what was happening. About to wave back, after a busy day.
That's lovely! What a great surprise for her. She looks delighted.
oh! this is the sweetest! smiles! and happy tidying . . . :)
How special, what lovely girls to want to do it and do most of the work! Great, great shot of her.
That is really really lovely - they sound like a gorgeous bunch of GFs... Not as unruly as them dwarves! GREAT happy story you've shared. Thank you :)
Awww that looks like a wonderful party - what a lovely surprise for your daughter.
Have a great week - I am well enough to wave back to you this week LOL!!
What fun! And what a beautiful girl!
Fabulous - except for the balloons. I am in again this week. Managed to write a bit inspite of the black dog on my back
How very wonderful! A lovely thing for TSO's friends to do for her. I love the photo of her thrilled and excited face.
What a very fabulous weekend you all had!
Beautifully told! And clearly a very special young woman, with friends and family like this :). Your text could go straight onto a scrapbook page, Sian, just as it is ...
How wonderful for her...and the photo says it all.
What a fabulous thing to do. A really fantastic memory for her x
Wow - what a lucky girl! I'm sure she will always treasure memories of this day.
Rinda
There's nothing like a surprise party to make the weekend perfect! What great friends your daughter has. That makes the 'tidying' up so worth it!!
What fabulous friends. That will be a birthday for you all to remember!
What lovely friends, it sounds amazing x
working backwards as you can tell! How lovely! I've never had a surprise party and if I did, then I'd want it to be just like this :-) Sounds perfect. She's a very lucky girl to have so many wonderful friends around her!
Looks like it was a lot of fun!
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