Suurrrprriissee!!!

I don't know if you know this about me, but I LOVE surprises. It's ironic that I would love a good surprise so much because I am an openly admitted TERRIBLE secret keeper (unless of course you threaten me with an inch of my life-then I'm a pretty good secret keeper).  My mom and I surprised my grandma (who requests that I call her Grandmere) for a BIG birthday (if I told you which birthday she would kill me and feel no regret).

 My Aunt Heather really should get most of the credit for orchestrating the entire surprise affair.....
We even surprised my very analytically minded grandpa at the airport. He was told he was picking up my Aunt's good friend, Mark.

  Grandpa arrived on time, but our flight didn't. He drove around and around and around the Colorado airport waiting for "Mark" to arrive. We finally made it TO Colorado (no thanks to you Dallas airport---why I oughtta) and to the arrival pick up area. Grandpa was all set to pick up a 6 foot tall male, and instead saw us two beauties. Here's his CLASSIC reaction. P.S. Yes that is me laughing/shrieking and screaming YOU'RE PICKING US UP!!!!!!!!

Apologies for making you turn your head side ways to watch......

As we drove home to surprise Grandmere, gramps was still flustered and asking: "So is this it? I'm NOT picking up Mark too?!" We had to reassure him repeatedly that he was a victim of an ambush surprise and there was ,in fact, no one else to pick up. He seemed to accept this because he drove the 40 minutes back to his house where my grandma was the next unsuspecting victim of a sneak surprise. Here is the tail end of her awesome reaction.....

Yes she just told her daughter, my aunt, Heather that she was a liar. Of course, during all these damn surprisings I have to cry each time. That ALWAYS what happens to me, I get so charged with emotion I just burst into tears. That is better than when I was younger, I'd get so excited I would physically hit the person I was surprising. :/


The next night we had a "Canvas and Cocktails" party. We set up canvases, paint, brushes, etc. and I created a painting that afternoon while my aunt and mother worked tirelessly over food for the night. Basically the guests drank/ate/followed along while I showed them step by step how to re-create my painting into their own masterpiece.  It was a BIG hit. I highly recommend that as a party idea. 

Myself, Mom, and Aunt Heather with the Birthday girl down and front. I decided to rock the artist look with my black beret, it added a certain je ne sais quoi and authority to my role as Bob Ross.

Here is an excellent example of a party goer diligently working on her masterpiece!

The one leaning up is my original painting that let everyone know what we'd be doing, the painting laying down is another party goers masterpiece! Notice the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol recepticles? We had a signature "Diane" drink and a birthday cake shot (which I have accidentally called a birthday cock shake in the past.....).

Grandmere, decided to go against the grain and create her own masterpiece... This is layer  20 of about 65......

Throughout the whole trip I'd see my grandma and randomly yell out: "SUUURRPRRISSEE!!" Just to keep her on her toes- she got pretty annoyed with me at the end of the trip when I would wait for her to get out of the bathroom so I could yell: "SUUURRRPPRIISSEE!!"

                           Overall it was a superb night. Don't mind my crazy eyes in this picture.....

Check back tomorrow for a Culinary Review of the best breakfast I've ever had the joy of eating in my entire life.....oh and I guess we went to Pike's Peak as well.

Love,
this girl