The Best Time For A Surprise Party

...is the year following a surprise party. Marissa got me good today. I had no clue whatsoever and she will tell you that I'm not easy to surprise. That she pulled it off in only a few days is a feat in and of itself but she gets mad props for doing it without me finding out!

I was under the impression we were going for a nice quiet lunch, just the three of us. I had gotten a coupon from Bennigan's for a B.O.G.O. entree for being on their email list. And I didn't want to mess with a newborn and lunch crowds, so I suggested later in the afternoon, around 3:00 or 4:00 (four).

After church, we hung around the house, eating a few protein snacks to keep us going until the casual event later that day. I even remarked a few times that we weren't on any kind of schedule and that we could take it easy. Marissa aced those moments by totally playing it cool and not revealing anything. We managed to leave on time and even had an errand to run on the way to the restaurant.

My friends and family were sitting on the patio on the parking lot side of the building but I managed to get inside without noticing. I was probably distracted by re-enjoying something that had happened to Marissa on the way (I'll let her tell you about that!). When the hostess asked if outside was OK, I nearly spoiled the whole thing by objecting to cigarette smoke near my son, but she ensured me smoking was not allowed. I still wasn't too happy about eating outside - it is May after all and I like free air conditioning. But Marissa was following the hostess out the door, so what could I do?

My first reaction once outside was "I wonder where she'll seat us with that large group taking up most of the patio." I almost got annoyed because I had wanted a nice, quiet, private meal with my growing but still small family. But then I saw Kendall. And then Jeremy. And then the light bulb over my head finally came on: this annoyingly large group was my annoyingly large group! I smiled and then took in who all was there. And events of the weekend (certain phone calls, coded phrases, and strange occurrences) suddenly made sense.

I love a surprise party and I am truly blessed to have so many people show up to mine. It's especially nice knowing that God helped with orchestrating this whole shindig: it turns out Marissa had prayed that this would go off without a hitch. And it did! God answers prayers!! I pray that He answers yours in a surprising way too!