Birthday surprises

After my tenth birthday I told my mother I didn't want any more birthday parties. My reasoning was the clean up outweighed any fun that might be had. So, that was that.

Until I turned 16.

The day of my sixteenth birthday, I had a ballet recital. Driving home, my dad got lost (which made no sense to me even if we were in a new place: He had an amazing sense of direction). Anyway, I just laughed it off. I was that dense. We got home, I walked in the door, and SURPRISE! Maybe 50 people in my mom's tiny house and backyard, friends and family from parts of my life that had never before met. It was both wonderful and jarring. Friends from elementary school met friends from high school met friends from my ballet schools met neighbors met family from near and far as well as some business associates of my mom. And a couple of nice guys I'd met on the subway going to dance class (really not sure how they got invited).

I remember a lot of smiles, a lot of hugs and love, catching up with people I hadn't seen in years, amazement at the tent in our backyard as well as my mother's ability to plan the whole thing without me having a clue, and absolute, utter relief that my mom had organized a clean up crew of my closest friends. :-)

A few years later, my dad and stepmom threw me a surprise 21st birthday party. It was the only event my dad ever planned for me and for that reason alone it was memorable. It was also a good time with a lot of family I didn't see regularly, music and dancing, great food and champagne toasts. To top it off, my best friend from high school came. None of my friends really knew my dad since my parents divorced when I was five. Add that he lived in an apartment in a fairly scary building and neighborhood and of course I was shocked, amazed and overjoyed that she came.

That was my last birthday party...although I did plan a small luncheon for my 50th. At a restaurant. It was great: No clean up. Even better? My husband came home early from a business trip in Nepal and surprised me at the restaurant. Best birthday ever. :-)