The Big Surprise

Angelines had her fortieth birthday the Monday of our mini vacation to Granada.  She thought she got out of a big celebration since we were out of town.  She couldn't have been more wrong.  All her friends and family conspired to surprise her this past Tuesday with a big party.   Everything was in order: chilled beers in the refrigerators, food on the table, cake prepared, gifts wrapped, guests gathered together waiting... Only one thing was missing--the birthday girl!

The plan had been that while out on our walk with Bela I would bring her by the party location with the excuse that I wanted to show her a pretty door that would look good for our house (yes, a lame excuse, but the only thing any of us could come up with!).  Guests were arriving at eight and I was to wait for a signal from Nuria to head over with Angelines.  At about seven, A insists on taking the dog for a walk.  I try to stall, complaining that it's still too hot and we should shower and then go, but to no avail--the dog must be walked now or I can walk her myself later!

I now have two options: go for a long walk and end up as planned at the party, or go for a short walk so we can both shower first and then come up with some other reason to leave the house.  Of course this second option is quite risky because once Angelines has showered it's hard to get her out of the house on a week night.  Most likely she'll collapse on the couch in her PJ's!  

After several frantic text messages I decide for a short walk and shower.  A's in a sour mood and arriving hot, sweaty and dirty to her surprise party won't make things any better.  We turn home and I'm wracking my brains to come up with a reason we MUST go out again--an "urgent" meeting for San Pancracio.  It's at eight o'clock, I say, we have to hurry.  A's response: "I'm not going!"  I trying arguing that it's urgent we have to go... no use.  "What's so urgent about it?," she asks. ... I come up with something about crowning a Virgin in Valverde and we're invited to represent the brotherhood, blah, blah, blah.  She's not impressed and refuses to go.

Now what?!  People are arriving at the party.  Nearly everyone's there, I know because I've been on the phone with Nuria to find out a little more about this "emergency meeting".  In the meantime A has begun watering the patio and isn't really anywhere near getting in the shower.  "Don't make us wait too long," is all Nuria says to me along with, "come up with something to get her out of the house!"

I take over watering the patio and finish in a hurry.  I am virtually shoving her into the shower when the phone rings.  It's Antonio: "Before the "meeting" come by the house to look at some lamps I found online that I think will look good in the new bar.  I tried to send the webpages to you...but it didn't work".  This is a good excuse.  She'll buy this, I'm nearly positive.  As we're climbing into the shower I explain that before the meeting we need to stop by Antonio's place. "Fine," she says, "But I'm NOT going to the meeting!" ;)

I shower as quickly as possible and get dressed in a hurry.  I'm doing my best to hurry A along, but she's not to be rushed.  Finally we get in the car (she refuses to walk) and I throw out my lines about a nice door I want to show her.  At this point she's exasperated and wondering what my problem is, but she follows my directions toward the "door" I want to show her.

When we get to the place I hop out of the car.  "I'm not getting out of the car!"  She proclaims.  "Look at this door!  Isn't it pretty?  Come here."  When she sees me stroking the door and realizes I'm not going anywhere until she gets out of the car, she does, though very reluctantly.  "Yeah, it's nice," she says, glancing at the door and turning around to get back in the car.  At this point I'm frantic.  I shove the doors open and shout at her to come back.  The guests inside are taken by surprise and it's a minute before the lights go on: "Sorpresa!!! Cumpleaños feliz..."

Angelines is definitely surprised.  She is finally able to snap out of her mood and enjoy the evening.  And I can finally relax, too!  What a lot of work it was to surprise this girl!!!  And it's a good thing she had her head busy with the last-minute logistics for the bar because I'm sure with all my bad lying she would have found us out otherwise.

This was the photo we scanned to have put on the cake. 

I took a bunch of old pictures from her mom and siblings and scanned them all.  A friend put them all together and made a great video for her birthday.  She was very touched, though embarrassed by more than one of the pictures. ;)  A few choice 80's photos were priceless...and then there were a couple as a little girl that were pretty adorable and equally embarrassing for her. hehehe.

We had a great time in the end and Angelines felt pretty bad for having been such a huge pain in the butt prior to the festivities...  ;) 

The cake was delicious...just ask Nicolas!  This photo  might come back to haunt him on his 40th B -day!