Party Animals

August 29-30 was a weekend to remember. I can't think of the last time I attended two parties in two days.

The first had been in the works for several months. Pat's daughter, Carisa, had emailed me on April 29, 2009, to advise that she wanted to give her mom a blow-out 70th birthday bash. As Carisa's email stated:

As some of you may or may not know, my mother has signed herself up for the Peace Corps.  If everything goes as planned, she will be leaving for Africa next June and will be gone for a minimum of 2 years. So i want to give her a party she will never forget!  Please KEEP THIS PARTY A SURPRISE!  If and when you talk to her please don't even hint that I have been in contact with you.  I know how she is and if she has the slightest idea that I've talked to any of you....the probing will start and we all know what that can be like.

Carisa carried the caper off with a flourish. She'd invaded her mother's house during our trips up north to raid her mother's email address book and sneak treasured photos to create a marvelous slideshow.

In fact, between Carisa and her brother, Kirk, Pat was in for a week of surprises, starting with the appearance of granddaughter Stacia on her doorstep, followed by her parents, Kirk and Jenia. Pat thought she'd died and gone to heaven just to have her daughter, son, grandchildren and children-in-law at her side on August 27, her 70th birthday. As her blog shares, they all spent the day at Disneyland, and she figured their presence was gift enough.

What she didn't know is that some 30 of her friends and family had assembled at Carisa's friend Kim's condo to surprise her on the Big Day. That group included her big brother, Bob, all the way from Boston, along with some of his children and grandchildren. I'd sat with Pat on the deck of a Lake Tahoe Thai restaurant on August 16, as she called to wish Bob a happy birthday. He never let on that he'd be seeing her soon. (And at that point, I didn't know either. I found out from Carisa a few days before the party.)

When Pat walked into the condo clubhouse, her eyes got wide as she began to recognize those gathered there and realized they were there to celebrate with her. Her eyes darted from face to face . . . until they landed on Bob.

"Is that my brother?" she exclaimed, not believing her eyes.

I traveled with Pat to Napa once and Tahoe three times prior to the party and managed never to spill the beans. I came close, though. 

Farida and I decided to put our cameras away at the party, so we have no photographic remembrances of our own from that day. We will take with us the opportunity to reconnect again with Kirk and Carisa and their families as well as others from our old neighborhood. We had a wonderful reunion with Teresa, Mary Ann, Margie, Billy and more.

Well done, Carisa. Well done, Kirk. 

And for you, Pat, I hope we get to share many, many more birthday celebrations.

***

Most of the guests at the second party were a bit younger. Farida, Nasreen, Hunter and I went out to Mission Viejo to celebrate the 4th birthday of Maggie, daughter of Monica and Eric Toth. Once again it was "old home week" as I caught up with my girls' high school friends whom I hadn't seen in years. 

I know you're wondering. Didn't she take photos of anyone but Hunter? Yes, I did, but because I don't have permission to post them, they'll have to stay hidden for now.

I did take the opportunity to photograph the lovely hibiscus growing in Monica and Eric's back yard.

It was great fun to catch up with new friends and old at both parties.

Much love to all of you.