Surprise!

We had a surprise 40th Wedding Anniversary party for my parents this last Friday. They ran off to the courthouse to get married 40 years ago and never had a wedding reception or any of the traditional wedding fun.

We got them to my sister Jessi's house under false pretenses and they were surprised to see us kids there all dressed up. We told them more lies and said we were going out to a fancy dinner together. Meanwhile, my mom's sister Kathy, who had flown in secretly from Arlington, VA, was sneaking around the corner to get in line while my mom and dad were going around giving everyone hugs. My mom took a good 3 or 4 seconds to even register that Kathy was standing in front of her. She was so shocked and surprised. Kathy handed Mom the veil and bouquet that we had gotten for her; she had never gotten to be a proper bride before. There were tears of joy and excitement.

Not a great picture with my dad's arm sticking out, but you get the idea of her popping around the corner.

Next, we told them there was one more small surprise out back before we headed out for dinner. We had them close their eyes while we turned on the canopy of lights for the real surprise.

I love this next picture. It really caught the emotion and surprise of the moment.

It turned out so well. It was beautiful and felt so magical.

We got thoughts and memories from all the family and many friends and compiled it with tons of old photos into a memory book for them. It turned out to be such a treasure. I always knew I had amazing parents, but it is wonderful to hear all the stories and thoughts of the times they touched and changed others' lives for the good. They are always serving and reaching out to others, creating family where ever they go.

Cousin Wendy made a gorgeous wedding cake for them, another thing they hadn't had before.
It was a stunning cake!

We had them cut the cake and feed it to each other. They did it very nicely, none of the mashing in the face stuff.

We had them give a little toast and hook arms to sip their fancy 7-Up.

They both looked beautiful. My mom especially glowed. She looked like an angel.

Here's one of all the girls

Not a bad looking bunch! I think my folks did pretty well.

It was a great night. One of the best for all of us I think. I felt like the mother of the bride, not the daughter. It was superbly fun to be able to work together and give them this night. I am glad to have my life back from all the planning and hard work, but I would never change a thing. It was amazing to have so many friends and family come to honor them. They deserved every bit and more.

It was also hilarious to tell them all the lies we had told them for the last few months and all the things we had stolen from their house in preparation for the big night.

I love you Mom and Dad! XXOO