small things: suprise birthday party for aaron

i decided to throw aaron a surprise party for his 27th birthday on october 24. i was anxious for the few weeks leading up to the event, certain that somehow he would find out or that my plan for getting him to the party wouldn't work. lucky for me i have a totally trusting, unsuspicious husband. despite a few close calls, he swears he was 100% surprised by the party.

i asked everyone to be waiting for us at boulevard park, a bayside park between bellingham and fairhaven, at 3pm on sunday afternoon. at home, i suggested to aaron that we take a family bike ride to fairhaven around that time. i was simply banking on him saying yes, and i didn't have a back-up plan! he did agree, though he dragged his feet in getting out the door. i didn't want to seem too rushed, but when he suggested we have tea before we go, i started to get frustrated! finally we began getting the bikes and the trailer ready... when aaron discovered he had a flat tire. ahh! i was super frustrated by then, knowing that we were already late, but i tried to stay calm. aaron sensed my frustration (but without suspicion, somehow) and decided instead of patching his tire we'd just bring the pump and keep giving it air. great. so FINALLY we set out, with me zooming along, trying to set a fast pace, and aaron clacking along behind as his gears kept grinding every time he tried to shift. we made it about halfway to the park when aaron stopped, super frustrated with his bike, and threatened to throw it over taylor street dock into the ocean (IF we even made it that far). i almost broke down and told him the secret... but somehow i didn't. i suggested that i take noah's trailer, and that we amend our plan and just try to make it as far as the park. then if he really wanted he could throw his bike into the ocean. he agreed, and we set out again, slowly, with aaron's gears still clacking.

my heart was racing as we neared the park, and i immediately spotted the balloons and the group waiting for us. i began leading aaron around the bend toward the party when he told me he needed to pump up his tire again. ahh! okay, in a sec, i said, and kept riding toward the group. he wondered why i wouldn't stop, but thankfully he kept following me. finally i turned toward the party and aaron followed, at first not noticing all his friends and family. he told me later that he saw our friend jake talking to his friend nathan, and he thought, "how do those guys know each other?" and he planned to go up to them and ask what kind of event had brought them together. seriously! but then he saw his dad, and others, and jeff came running over and said "surprise!" and it FINALLY dawned on him what was happening. he was really really happy. i was really really happy. (though i think that next year i'll just make him a birthday dinner or something.)

lots of people were there, including aaron's friends nathan and dan from bc, who met noah for the first time at the party. thanks to everyone for coming, and thanks especially to sarah and jeff for organizing the food and running the grill. and thanks to mom b. for two delicious cakes! and aaron thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts (which he'll expand on in the thank-you notes he'll soon write).