Last weekend, we celebrated the 40th birthday of a dear friend. Eric and Ken have been friends since high school, and Eric's wife Lisa and I have been friends since 4th grade! Lisa planned an elaborate surprise party, and managed to pull it off without Eric figuring out her scheme. She even arranged for a marching band like nothing you've ever seen before. Seriously. There are just no words. You can get just an inkling of what I'm talking about by what you can see of their costumes in this photo below. And the baton twirler? Oh. My. That's just all I can think to say about that. Ken turns 40 next year -- I will NOT be able to top this, so I'll have to do a weekend vacation or something instead. I mean, seriously, have you ever known anyone to have a marching band come up the street and right into the middle of their party? But that's Lisa for you. It helps that her sister is part of this crazy ensemble.
This next photo is Eric (known as "Baby"), Eric (known as "Daddy" - he's the birthday boy), and Ken. For the record, they were on a hill, so Ken is not this much shorter than the Erics! It was neat seeing a lot of people we hadn't seen in years. But kind of weird, too; so much has changed over the years. It was kind of like a class reunion, except with several different groups that somehow intertwined: the guys who went to high school together, former co-workers, those of us who were on the same dance teams, guys who bowl together, neighbors, friends that are like family, and family members that are also friends. There's so much overlap of the original groups that it's hard to remember who met who when and how. 
It's been a couple of years since Lisa & I had a decent picture together, so I made sure Ken snapped one of us. This, of course, was after the surprise so Lisa could breathe again; she was a little tense before that just trying to make sure everything went as planned! She even had me set up a blog prior to this so everyone--except Eric, that is-- could be in on the fun!
That drink koosie in Lisa's hand has "Eric's Big 40" printed on them. I'm telling you, Lisa goes all out. She usually does one party a year, in December, and each year the chocolate fountain gets bigger. Her annual holiday party started out as a fun little appetizer-type menu, and now it's like a catered event. She's a complete nut. But I am, too, in my own quirky ways. My quirks are just different than her quirks. As a matter of fact, I think that's one of the things that makes life fun: enjoying the quirkiness of friends and family.
This next photo is Eric (known as "Baby"), Eric (known as "Daddy" - he's the birthday boy), and Ken. For the record, they were on a hill, so Ken is not this much shorter than the Erics! It was neat seeing a lot of people we hadn't seen in years. But kind of weird, too; so much has changed over the years. It was kind of like a class reunion, except with several different groups that somehow intertwined: the guys who went to high school together, former co-workers, those of us who were on the same dance teams, guys who bowl together, neighbors, friends that are like family, and family members that are also friends. There's so much overlap of the original groups that it's hard to remember who met who when and how. It's been a couple of years since Lisa & I had a decent picture together, so I made sure Ken snapped one of us. This, of course, was after the surprise so Lisa could breathe again; she was a little tense before that just trying to make sure everything went as planned! She even had me set up a blog prior to this so everyone--except Eric, that is-- could be in on the fun! That drink koosie in Lisa's hand has "Eric's Big 40" printed on them. I'm telling you, Lisa goes all out. She usually does one party a year, in December, and each year the chocolate fountain gets bigger. Her annual holiday party started out as a fun little appetizer-type menu, and now it's like a catered event. She's a complete nut. But I am, too, in my own quirky ways. My quirks are just different than her quirks. As a matter of fact, I think that's one of the things that makes life fun: enjoying the quirkiness of friends and family. 
