A Pleasant Surprise
Last night, I went to my friends' place for what I thought was going to be a small dinner; instead, more people showed up than I expected-- including some people I didn't realize my friends knew. I just shrugged it off, figuring they had better social connections than I thought. I enjoyed it though, as I knew everyone present.
After we'd had a nice potluck dinner of burgers, salads, and vegetables, and the conversation continued smoothly, I was suddenly faced with everyone gathered in a semi-circle and a huge cake coming my way...
My actual birthday was last month, but I'd been out of town at the time. So two weeks later, I certainly wasn't expecting a surprise birthday party! The cake was a traditional favorite of mine-- pineapple-upside down. I've had that same cake every year, since I was five. I was fortunate in that the friend who brought the cake is a fantastic cook who makes the best desserts. This cake was no different-- delicious! I also got some very nice cards, and a few gifts as well. But the real gift was the surprise party-- it's been a long time since I had a surprise birthday party, and I figured the fact that I'd already had one was enough for a lifetime. So it was a very pleasant surprise. The other gift was being able to be with friends-- despite my unemployment woes and my frustration with global and national events, I consider myself fortunate to be in relatively good health, have food and shelter, and most of all, to have such good friends.
After a delicious dessert of cake and fruit salad, we decided to play a game. The choice was between Pictionary or Taboo, and Pictionary won out. I hadn't played it in a long time, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Rather than play by the traditional rules, we decided to forego the paper and pencils and instead run the game as if it were charades. It turned out to be loads of fun, and I wouldn't be surprised if one person ended up with a new name sign. *grin*
Naturally, after the game ended, Deaf Standard Time settled in, and a progressively smaller group chatted, and chatted, and chatted... I finally left, exhausted but happy.
To those of you that were there and are reading this now, thank you!
After we'd had a nice potluck dinner of burgers, salads, and vegetables, and the conversation continued smoothly, I was suddenly faced with everyone gathered in a semi-circle and a huge cake coming my way...
My actual birthday was last month, but I'd been out of town at the time. So two weeks later, I certainly wasn't expecting a surprise birthday party! The cake was a traditional favorite of mine-- pineapple-upside down. I've had that same cake every year, since I was five. I was fortunate in that the friend who brought the cake is a fantastic cook who makes the best desserts. This cake was no different-- delicious! I also got some very nice cards, and a few gifts as well. But the real gift was the surprise party-- it's been a long time since I had a surprise birthday party, and I figured the fact that I'd already had one was enough for a lifetime. So it was a very pleasant surprise. The other gift was being able to be with friends-- despite my unemployment woes and my frustration with global and national events, I consider myself fortunate to be in relatively good health, have food and shelter, and most of all, to have such good friends.
After a delicious dessert of cake and fruit salad, we decided to play a game. The choice was between Pictionary or Taboo, and Pictionary won out. I hadn't played it in a long time, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Rather than play by the traditional rules, we decided to forego the paper and pencils and instead run the game as if it were charades. It turned out to be loads of fun, and I wouldn't be surprised if one person ended up with a new name sign. *grin*
Naturally, after the game ended, Deaf Standard Time settled in, and a progressively smaller group chatted, and chatted, and chatted... I finally left, exhausted but happy.
To those of you that were there and are reading this now, thank you!
posted by Mr. Sandman | 11:32 AM
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