Memories from Last Year - Karl's 40th Birthday

Karl's birthday was coming up and it was going to be a big one. I knew Karl had never had a surprise birthday before, so i was going to try my hardest to get one planned for him. However, it seems October has become my most strenuous month. I knew I would have to start early! First was his gift. Since this was the big 40, I wanted ti to be special. Actually what I really wanted to do was finish off the garage with his new shop like we dreamed of before we bought the house. One of my dear friends told me under no uncertain circumstances was I going to get this done, I was still recovering from mono and it could set me back. She suggested one of the cabinets to start it off. I searched on-line while the children were asleep and came down to a couple of options, Gladiator and Craftsman. Why? Karl wanted a cabinet he could lock now the expensive tools would be in the garage. Only these two offer this option along with the other sized cabinets I had in mind. Then I took the kiddos with me to Sears so I could look at the cabinets in person. I am a person who needs to touch the merchandise in order to fully grasp its worth and these cabinets are not cheap! I told the kiddos to not tell Daddy we ordered his birthday present, but Isabella is such a stinker. When Karl got home she whined to him, "We went to Sears and Mommy would not take us into the mall!" Karl's eyebrow went up, "You went to Sears. Honey, if you are planning on buying me a tool for my birthday, do you think I should give you some ideas and sku numbers so you get the right one??" I made a quick recovery, "Landsend was having a sale on the summer and fall clothes. As for your birthday, I can manage." I later filled Isabella's ear with my concerns that she would ruin the whole thing.


Then the day to pick up the cabinet came. I drove over the Sears and it took three guys to load this 300lb cabinet in my truck. Oh No! How was I going to get it out? Karl's birthday was not for another month. Well, he was going to have to get it early because there was no way I could hide it in my truck for that long. It also happened to be a Cub Scout night at our house, so maybe he could have help getting it out. I threw a blanket over it and told Karl to come to the truck to get his gift. He was very confused.
But once he uncovered the cabinet he understood. Karl had been wanting one of these for years, but would not justify the cost. So, I got t for him. One of the dads from scouts helped him get it out of the truck and asked me to tell his wife he wanted one for his birthday too!


Now the harder part, the party. I had changed the date three times due to scouts, retreat, and soccer. I settled on the weekend his parents would be visiting us from MN. We were suppose to have two soccer games and then get back to the house for the party, only it rained or more accurately poured. I suggested Karl take his parents on a driving tour through the Amish area not far from our house. Call it cultural, I also asked Karl's mom to pick up some potato salad since I was not able to make any the day before. When they arrived back home, Karl saw a what he was perceiving as picket line of children holding up signs.

It took him a minute or two but he put it all together! The idea of the signs was because I had no way to hide the line of cars in front of our house, so he would know as soon as he turned on our street. Several people came, some wished they could have been there but could not. One of the big conflicts I had was a Cub Scout Camping weekend, which had Karl's parents not been there, Karl would have went to with Anton, even in the rain.

All the children had a blast even though it was a more adult party. When you have friends with 4 - 6 children, it does not take long to fill the house! I wish it would have been nice out and they could have spent time outdoors, but I had some crafts for them and they played with the toys.

It was a fun time and I know he will remember it forever!

Thanks to everyone who made it so special!