One of my sisters orchestrated a sneaky-pants surprise birthday party for our mother. She chose to honor Mom’s 78th, versus her 80th, birthday just to throw Mom off the scent. I was in charge of making Mom’s powerpoint.
Mother Nature helped with the surprise. We’d originally planned to have Mom’s surprise party closer to her actual birthday in September, but Hurricane Florence blew that away. Instead, we held it in November.
Fortunately, I live in a state where early voting is offered because I would’ve curtailed my visit in order to stand in line to vote. The biggest relief is that, taken out of my regular routine, I wasn’t inundated with local campaign ads. Yet, I couldn’t totally separate myself from politics since my family didn’t know about some of the egregious things certain politicians were doing. Yet, even worse than that, two of my friends, both women of color, had told me that they weren’t going to vote! One said that she was a Christian and God would take care of her. The other said she’d be content to let the chips fall where they may.
Of course that didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t go off on them at the time, but I didn’t forget. So, as we were heading down to NC en route to our hotel the day before the surprise birthday party, I asked my brother-in-law to stop so I could take a clear picture of one of the many cotton fields in bloom we’d passed along the way.
I texted this picture to both of my friends with a caption, which read, “Here’s your new workplace since you don’t vote!”
Once we reached the hotel, as anxious as I was to hit the room, I had to pause to take a picture of perhaps the only hotel joke I’ve ever seen.
The next morning, we had a fabulous breakfast and spent a couple of hours decorating the event place. One of the decorations was a deck of playing cards with Mom’s picture on it. As an avid pinochle player, Mom deserved to have her picture grade a deck of playing cards.
Mom arrived, thinking that she and Dad were attending someone else’s birthday party. I’m so happy that I caught her pointing her finger at someone, one of her infamous gestures. We’d said “surprise” and the DJ played Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday to You” as she circulated around the room.
My sister, who’d masterminded the entire event, maintained such a high level of energy throughout the entire evening.
Mom then greeted one of her nieces,
one of our godparents,
a cousin-in-law,
her “boyfriend,”
and other family members.
I recommended using Mom’s high school senior portrait, which most people initially thought was my other sister. Dad kept telling people, “I got her when she looked like that!” I didn’t dare tell him that she’d gotten him when he was a young man himself.
Since I’d missed several family reunions in a row on Mom’s side, I wanted to take a picture of some of my cousins.
Then I joined in the group picture, holding Mom’s portrait. When she saw that, Mom had to join in herself.
And of course my sisters and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a picture with Mom’s portrait.
One of the best blessings I have is that my parents are still alive, well and still together. I love how they both joke that if the other one passes first, they wouldn’t remarry because they’re too old to retrain a new partner!
As we waited for the caterers to set up, different family and friends got on the mic to tell a funny story or even wish her well.
My brother-in-law missed a lot of the festivities because he had to go out and get a birthday cake since there was a miscommunication with the woman who was supposed to be in charge of the original cake. Nonetheless, we made due with what he bought.
My parents opened the floor, dancing to “My Girl” by The Temptations.
Soon other couples joined them.
Wasn’t too long before all the line dances were played.
Once again, I risked having my “Black” card revoked since I didn’t dance because I don’t like line dances.
I didn’t even join in when they played the Electric Slide, which was the one I knew how to do.
The thing is, when I learned the Electric Slide, that was it for me. For life.
Then we had the requisite pictures: Mom with her grandkids.
Of course, Dad eventually got into the action.
My godparents posed with my parents.
Then I managed to capture a shot of my nieces with their father.
At the end of the party, before taking the gifts to the car, I snapped a picture of her gift table, which was a little deceptive since most of her cards where stored in the decorative box in the back of the table.
In the course of leaving, I discovered my niece’s steampunk hat that she bought at a costume shop when she should have been searching for birthday decorations for her grandmother. I, of course, had to pose with it. And my nephew, of course, had to photobomb.
Back at my parents’ home, Mom read through all her cards, while most of us were only truly interested in how much each card held. Although one of my cousins kept track of how much she collected on paper, I recounted the cash and put the bills in order. After putting it in an envelope, I ordered my mother to put it in a safe place then first thing Monday morning deposit it. Since we’re both Virgos, the conversation wasn’t necessary.
The next morning, we hit the road back to Virginia. While waiting for the others to finish up at the rest stop, we posed for pictures.
Our cousin suggested we get the tourist sign in a shot.
- Since the tourism motto is “Virginia Is for Lovers,” I got the Love sign as well.
