Hillary's 30th Birthday

Next Saturday, September 12, will be my oldest daughter's 30th birthday. Hillary Ann (Hitchery Dan - that's another story) will be 30! That's hard for me to believe, because as old as I am, I still feel like I should be about 30! Isn't that crazy??? Anyway, we decided to throw a surprise party. Our secret plans began weeks ago...whispering and wondering and making lists and plans...soooooo much fun! But we realized that we would not be able to celebrate her birthday on the 12th....I would not be in town and Cari would be only 3 weeks from her due date. So, this weekend, Dove Festival Weekend...Homecoming Weekend...would be the perfect weekend to throw the party! Dennis, Hillary, and Maddie would come home. Cari and Kevin would be in town...hopefully most of Hillary's friends would be here. So the plans began! I tried to find email addresses and Cari sent out e-vites. I found phone numbers and called friends. Some email addresses were wrong and unfortunately didn't go through but we had a blast planning! I wasn't sure how I could pull this surprise off. Hillary was at my house for most of today. Luckily, she and Maddie took a long nap while I got the final stages of the party together! Now, Dennis is not very good at telling lies or keeping secrets, so I think she was beginning to get a little suspicious on their way to the party, but all in all, we pulled it off until she saw all the cars and pick ups and recognized them. We had a wonderful time! I was so happy to see her smile! It was good to see her friends and their kiddos! Maddie had a wonderful time playing with her cousins, Denver and Averi, and her momma's friend's girls! We ate watermelon, chips and dip, and had crackers with cream cheese dip and some wonderful birthday cake (thanks Leanne!). It was great to see all my kids together and to see all my grandkids. It was really more like a party for me! I don't get to see my kids all together very often. So this was extra special for me! The kids got to swim and run around acting like horses and laugh together. It was just great to see everyone! So, Hillary, I hope you enjoyed your party as much as I enjoyed seeing you there!