My Surprise 30th Bithday Party!!!!

Somehow my husband managed to fool me so totally and throw me a surprise birthday party.  I thought it was next weekend!!!  I wanted to go to the gym in the morning and then go for coffee, but he had other plans.  He unplugged the battery from the car (thinking this would stop me from getting out)... Little did he know how resourceful I would be, I pulled my bike down off the celling of the garage, got a neighbour to fill the tires and off I went for a ride... It was such a beautiful day, we have had rain and cold crummy weather for almost 2 weeks ( I was due for some outdoors time).  I biked to a friends house and we both went for a lovely ride on the trails near her house.  At 11, my husband called the cell (which he later told me he planted in an obvious place so that I would grab it)... he seemed frantic and wanted me home so that we could go pick up my brother and his girl friend, the kids were in the van and they wanted to come too!  Ok ok... I rush home (nearly killing myself in the process-I'll explain later).  And off we go to pick up my brother in hamilton so that he could come over here for a BBQ with his GF. 

So my husband who played every angle of this surprise, took the scenic route back home (under the guise of too much traffic on the QEW - which was actually true) and when I mentioned to him that one of my friends could babysit the kids and I would love it if we could go for lunch at Dundurn Castle, he suddenly says "sure" and then pulls into the parking lot...  This I thought was strange, but I had mentioned to him that we didn't have anything for lunch to feed Ian (my brother) and Kaila (his GF), so I thought he was also trying to impress the two of them by taking everyone out for lunch. 

So we unpack the crew (including two sleeping boys- poor things... I did find this behaviour strange)... But still I had NO CLUE!!!  then as we are walking towards the coach house for lunch, people are screaming "Mark, Mark"... I tell Mark, "it's probably another Mark", but then he vear's towards them and I see it's Jen and Cara (my friends)... Ok so I guess I'm not the brightest so I did have to look at their cute little summer dresses and then the pavillion that had white table clothes and ballons and tons of kids running around.... AHHHH HA!!!!  It's my party, the one I had been asking for since last year when I turned 29!!!  He did it, he pulled it off :D   I was so thrilled, so speechless and thankful all wrapped into one.  I can't beleive everyone was in on it! 

So here are some of the pictures that I go from my parent's camera!

Annaliese colouring the giant Happy Birthday banner!

Eating lunch: Catered from John's BBQ (a portugese family business in Oakville)... so yummy and nearly all Gluten Free!

Bubbles - an other activity for the kids.

My dad showing Patrick how to play mini golf (another activity)

My cake!  Good thing Mark didn't light all 30 candles :D

Patrick stripped down and eating his piece of cake.

The table clothes were white, the flowers were my favorite and everything was so beautiful.

Patrick and his great grandfather play mini golf and you can see the rest of the party'ers'  enjoying the beautiful sun! 

We also got a private guided tour of Dundurn Castle... One of my favorite places ever (since I spent 2 summers doing archaeology down in front of the mansion)