I never got around to telling the story of my birthday surprise. Well, let me just say it was fantastic! Andy had told me a few days before Friday that he wanted to take me out and that I should be dressed up and ready to go by 8:00. I tried a few times to figure out what the plan was (by citing that I was almost 30 and too old for surprises) but nothing made him budge. I even googled local Detroit events for that night, but all of the ones that seemed to fit started earlier than 8pm, so I figured I better just go along with the plan.
I bought a gorgeous dress for the occasion (one that I had been eyeballing since I bought my blue suit for work) and couldn’t wait to wear it with a pair of shoes that I already owned and loved. So after spending an afternoon at my aunt’s pool (in the shade mostly – this summer had been underwhelming to say the least!) I came home, ate a little dinner and started getting ready.
I have to say that most mornings it is no fun to shower, do my hair and makeup and get dressed for work. It usually just seems like a big pain and I’d rather be in my pj’s with bed head all day. However, being a true girly girl at heart, I really do relish the times that I have a couple of hours to shower, shave, lotion, polish, treat, blow-dry, curl, spray, perfume, powder, and gloss myself up for a night out! There is something to the process that strikes that deep place inside every woman. The place that craves beauty. I believe that God created women not only to be beautiful, but also to want to bring beauty into the world. Whether it’s via a nice garden, a pretty home, a good relationship, an encouraging word, a random act of kindness, a bold word spoken at the right time, or whatever He may lead us to do. I think it’s just part of who we are.
So I got all dolled up and wouldn’t let Andy see me until I was all ready. So much of the mystery of a woman is taken away after marriage. I mean they get to see us with the hairy legs, pits, whatever and then they sometimes even see us shaving. Then, the finished product – smooth, lovely lady just seems like the result of a little elbow grease rather than the 8th wonder of the world. I mean when you’re dating, I’m sure the guy thinks the girl never farts and always has good hair, smooth legs and pleasant breath. Then they marry her and find out that her farts are worse than his, her legs are prickly more often than not and she has morning breath that could kill small children and elderly people. Let’s bring some of the mystery back!!
So, it’s 7:58pm and I’m ready. I made my grand entrance into the living room, did the obligatory swirl and soaked up the compliments :) We snapped a few photos and then prepared to leave. I was antsy and Andy seemed to be stalling, so I told him I’d go wait in the car. He insisted that I wait and then he ducked outside for a second, came back in and let me know that we were ready to leave….
We started walking down the driveway and there it was…a gorgeous limo! I was totally surprised and my mind started reeling…was this huge limo just for us? What is he up to? Is anyone else inside it? Where are we going?
So we got to the limo, the driver opened the door for me and when I peeked inside, there were several of my close friends and my sister! It turns out my friend Marie had thought up this whole surprise and worked with Andy to make it happen! Ellen told me that she would be working Friday night, so I did not expect her to be there and I was totally overwhelmed by all the plotting and planning just to give me a special night!
We headed downtown and ended up having an AMAZING night! We went to an awesome bar at the MGM Grand Casino. It was called Ignite and it had actual flames in the walls!
I had a delicious plate of sushi and thoroughly enjoyed the hip atmosphere and great company. After a while we loaded up in the limo and headed over to Cliff Bells (probably the coolest jazz club ever!)
And we ate some of the most delicious Mac and Cheese ever!
There was a live jazz band playing on the old stage in front of a gorgeous starburst mosaic that was restored from the original one back in the the 1930’s! This place is gorgeous and full of luxurious mahogany and brass…definitely makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time.
So, we had an amazing time there, a fun limo ride back to our side of town, a nightcap at Robusto’s Martini Lounge and back to the house. The rest is history…
All in all, it was a fantastic way to ring in the big 2-9!
Wow… you stated that beautifully! I am so happy that you had such a great birthday!!!