Surprise 70th Birthday Party

I started thinking about having a birthday party for my birthday this year way back in January.  It wasn’t that I was necessarily into celebrating my birthday……once you retire…and EVERY day is like your birthday, they really lost importance for me.  I think it was partially my old ‘’any excuse to have a party’’….and partially I wanted to thank the people that come to my Christmas Tea and always bring food…and it just grew from there. 

I think Gale and I started with Amelie’s bakery back in February, to check out their desserts….I knew I wanted 3 things…and of course it was going to be a tea!  First, I wanted tea sandwiches…..then I wanted tea sized desserts….and third, I wanted party favors…and I knew exactly what I wanted for those.  I always assumed I would need 3 different people for this…as many/most professional bakers don’t do savory stuff…and the people who do savory stuff aren’t generally bakers…and the party favor was in a class by itself. 

Every time a plan or a caterer fell through, Michael would say ‘’oh, you have plenty of time’’.  Finally, when it was 4 weeks and 2 days before the date I had set for the party (based partly on my birthday and mostly on when Janice was supposed to leave for CT/ME)….and I hadn’t yet seen or tasted any kind of food at all, I said to Michael ‘’If she doesn’t come through in 2 days (the final person I was consulting and who was supposed to be bringing me samples of everything), the party is off!’’  Michael began to suggest a few other things I could try, but I explained that this young woman was at least the 9th person to be consulted, and I was tired, and the date of the party was so close…that was it!!! 

Anna (the caterer) and I had met about 3 weeks prior, and gone over the desserts that I wanted (as I knew she was a baker) and when we finished talking, I asked if she knew anyone who could do the sandwiches.  She paused for a bit…then indicated that she might be able to do them as well, but she needed to check with someone else.  (And of course, eventually she said yes she could do those as well).  Just for laughs….I also showed her a picture of the party favor…and she said…and I almost fell over…’’Oh, I’ve made those before’’!!!  I told her I wanted them in a clear plastic box…and I wanted teal ‘’grass’’ on the bottom, but not the synthetic grass but paper grass…and she suggested tying the whole thing up with a black ribbon.  I also told her I also wanted the front of the favor to be teal/white swirled frosting.  She delivered those on Thursday night, and I think she NAILED them: 

People who know me from Connecticut, would understand this party favor...I used to be crazy about shoes...had many, many pairs....always wore 3'' - 4'' heels every day to work....oh for those days (when I was younger....and definitely skinnier....and had conditioned my feet to like those shoes!) Anyway, as each person left the party, it was a joy to keep the favors all hidden (thanks to Janice) and then whip one out, thank the person, hand it over and send them on their way. 

Janice came in on Thursday and we got almost everything done with the set up, so Friday morning we just had a tiny bit to do before getting ready:

Anna and her helper came on Friday morning and put out the food…it was everything I could have hoped for…and more: 

-pancetta/mushroom puffs & pimento/ham sliders

-caprese tea sandwich

-chicken salad & bacon/onion quiche

-top to bottom: tiramisu, pecan tassies, dark chocolate entremet

-tuxedo brownies

-lemon/raspberry cheesecake

About 10 til NOON, Pat called to say she had something to show me outside…this was it (unfortunately I couldn't get Pat's video to up load):

-me, Arizona Mary, BG

Arizona Mary spent 3 days in a car with her hubby and 2 dogs to come to my party….and BG and Steven spent 2 days (which believe me…she couldn’t afford as she has WAY TOO MUCH on her plate) to come to the party!  I have no idea why I am so lucky to have such very good friends (including Janice who is always up for helping with anything…even when her departure for CT/ME moved from next Wednesday to TOMORROW), but I feel very blessed indeed!  That’s why the title of this post is ‘’SURPRISE 70th BIRTHDAY PARTY…..I had no idea they were coming…that was the surprise. 

People started to arrive at NOON…and a few had on hats, but for the rest….Janice had a huge box for people to pick from:

-Pat

-Arizona Mary, Pat, BG

-Sandy

-Pam S

-Diane

-June

-Jan & June

-Floy

-Kay

-Gale & Sue

-Susan

-Iris

-Sue & Ann Mary

-Ginny

-Karen

-Paula

-Laura

-Pam R

-Loree

-Linda

-Susie

I think that alone got the party off on the right foot.  My ‘’teas’’ were Strawcello martinis (a pink lemonade base with strawberry vodka and lemoncello) and pink lemonade and ice water.  Everyone served themselves and sat down and proceeded to talk and talk and talk:

As I’ve said before, if the noise level was any indication, the party was a hit! 

By 2:30 PM the guests were gone (along with their party favors that everyone seemed to really like and be surprised by), and Pat & BG and Arizona Mary did a fabulous job cleaning up the kitchen and putting everything away, and so BG, Arizona Mary, Pat, Janice and I sat around the kitchen table….I opened my gifts, and Janice played ‘’matron of honor’’ and wrote down everything for me…and then we talked and talked until 6:30 PM when BG had to leave:

Janice and I chased after her in the golf cart (she went to Pat’s house to pick up her car) and gave her a party favor…then delivered 2 more to people who unexpectedly couldn’t come to the party, before heading home to collapse in the living room with a martini, some food, and a good book. 

I had a fabulous time at my party and any anxiety I had in the days leading up to it was well worth it….I wouldn’t have changed a thing!  Including my awesome honey who spent hours downstairs corraling Freya & Lucy & Ethel so that I could have a stress free time....I truly am blessed beyond measure!!!