40 and Fabulous!

I got a crazy idea stuck in my head a few months ago that it would be fun to throw a surprise party for Tin's 40th birthday.  She has done so much for me and my family over the years, plus the countless good deeds she has bestowed on other family members and friends, I thought this would present a great opportunity to show her how much she's appreciated.  Maybe it's because I'm right behind her, but I decided I didn't want to go with the "over the hill" theme for Tin.  Forty isn't really that old, is it?  With that seed planted firmly in my head, at the first of the year I started sending some emails to some of her out-of-state friends, letting them know that there would be a party sometime in March.  I also asked them to email me with any pictures they might have to use in a slideshow.  With the help of the fam, the planning snowballed from there.  We set the date for March 19th.  Based on the number of guests, we thought it would be best to use a clubhouse.  Nate and Dre offered theirs.  With those two very important pieces in place, I sent out the official Evite in February.  Between then and now, we've been constantly adding to the guest list as contact information for more of her friends became available.

Another crazy idea I had was to create a slideshow of Tin's life.  Once the pictures came filing in, the realization of how big of a project it was set in.  Think about it . . . cramming 40 years of someone's life into a few minutes?  Not happening!  The end result was approximately 13 minutes.  And for those 13 minutes of airtime, I spent many, many, many hours sitting in front of my computer, uploading and editing music, moving pictures around, and shaking my head in frustration.  But it was all worth it.  Definitely a labor of love.

Luckily, cousin Laura came into town and created the perfect distraction for the party.  I think Tin was a bit disappointed that so many family members had other plans that day.  However, we had created the ruse that we would be getting together that evening to celebrate the family's March birthdays.  Saturday morning at our house was spent franticly burning the slideshow onto a DVD, frosting cupcakes that had been baked at 2:40 a.m., slicing the beef for the BBQ, etc.  Meanwhile, Grandma and Jules stopped by Sam's to pick up the birthday cake and a bouquet of flowers.  All that was done in time to gather at the clubhouse to begin the decorating and set up for the party.  Once decorating had gotten underway, I left to pick up the balloons and returned in time to help with the final touches.  It was 4:00 by this time, so I ran home to change clothes and get the boys.  Thankfully, Jeremy had bathed and changed the boys by the time I got home.  Once I changed and freshened up, we were back out the door.  Shortly thereafter, guests began to arrive.  The party began at 5:30.  Laura devised various excuses to delay their arrival, so she and Tin didn't show up until about 5:45.  We made use of the time before Tin showed up to reconnect with friends that we haven't seen in a while.

 

To say that Tin was surprised would be an understatement.

After the initial shock, Tin got her bearings and made her rounds, visiting with many wonderful friends.  One of the biggest surprises for her was seeing her ex-roomie from college, Kathleen, who made the trip out from Nebraska with her family for the party.

Melayna & Kristin

What would a family party be without our "adopted" family member, Noah, and his family?

Ashley, Sidney, Noah & Kristin

 Even some of her earliest childhood friends were able to join us. 

Ross, Darla, Kristin & WillaJeanne

Tamara, Kristin & Eric

Tin with ALL of her nieces and nephews.

It's a Tanya Sammich!

As many pictures as I managed to take, I realized afterwards (when it was too late) that I missed out on taking some pictures of Kristin with some important family members - Grandpa, Matt, Dre, and Laura.  We need a do-over!

While all the adults were milling around talking, the kids were up to their usual kid antics.  No surprise there!  (The term "kids" is used loosely, as it usually refers to children under the age 18.  However, when Uncle David is around . . . )



Micah, David & Riley

Luckily, Grandma, Jules, and Dre planned some great games to keep the kids entertained.  So in between running around and getting into trouble, they occasionally paused for a game or two.



All in all, it was a fun evening reminiscing with friends.  We're all still patting ourselves on the back for pulling off the surprise.  Many thanks to all those who helped conspire with me!