Lucky Lou Fifty

He did it. My husband planned my surprise 50th Birthday. And I was surprised. After teasing him and the rest of my family that they only had two years to plan it. (The teasing and reminders started about when I was 48 or so..) my husband pulled it off. The closer my 50th got, the more guilty I had begun to feel at being so selfish for even wanting a surprise! I've planned many a party for many a person and it seemed like I should have surprise for my 50th. Then dad passed and everything became the first time with out him...Year of Firsts...First Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first New Years Eve and day. First mothers day...every day was a first sad day with out him. I came to dread my upcoming birthday. I honestly didn't know how I was gonna get through such a milestone with out him. I've spent probably every birthday with my father whether it was at his house or my house or out some where special. Thinking back to my 40th birthday, my gift to myself was a beautiful white cat. The first cat I ever bought at a pet shop. On that birthday, I also gifted myself with margarita glasses imported from Mexico with the blue rimmed edge. We all celebrated that year with a mexican fiesta at my house and Dad just having come back from a trip from the mid-west was telling us all that while listening to hours of the radio while on the road, this crazy DJ was wishing all the locals happy bert-days! Dad figured out the guy meant birth-day, but on account of the mid-western drawl going on he was pronouncing the word bert-days. So my new white kitten was named Bert. He was my happy bert-day cat. Dad named him.
Two nights before my May 19th birthday Dad came to me in a dream. I was in the bar at Michaels where I work, and walked across the lobby to the front dining room where a table was set up in the middle and my whole family was sitting around it. And there next to my mother sat my father. I was stunned and ran around the table to where he sat and cried and hugged his shoulders and said you're not supposed to be here. Over and over again he said "I know, I know." But he was there. I'll never forget that dream. I'm so glad to have seen him again...dream or not.
So the weekend before this dream and my birthday, Bill and I went to Stillwater for a weekend escape. At some point my mother asked me what I wanted. As she said no one can plan a party like you can Pam. I thought about it and in trying to keep it simple and not so costly. I said it would just be nice to have my immediate family and a few close friends just go somewhere in the Adirondacks for dinner and an over night.
So as we pulled into the Stillwater Inn, I was disappointed to not see any familiar family cars in the parking lot. No surprise party at Stillwater.
So Tuesday came an I went to work at Michaels for my five o'clock shift where Mr. Duke approached me and said he was sorry not to be able to give me my birthday off the following day as we were gonna be busy. I didn't have a problem working on my birthday...after all there are cell phones bills to pay.
Well the party was right there at Michaels in the front dining room where I had my dad dream.
I was surprised as any one could be.
What a spread! Great food and my closest friends, Rich, Linda, Di, Molly, Meredith, Chris, Mitch and Jesse, my whole family, Mel and Carolyn. I was sad to not see Jen or Ed and David.
It was a great party.
Nanny made me open my presents there...(I felt stupid and wanted to just take them home) but Nancy insisted and pushed me down into a chair where I started unwrapping doggy toys.
I kept looking at my daughter Aurora and asking her...am I getting a dog? I was almost scared!
The in came Nancy with a dog carrier and the tiniest little white dog with cream colored ears.
I was floored and quite tearful.
His name is Lucky Lou Fifty and I love him so.