Surprise 50th in Texas

When we received an invitation from Danny's wife, Kathy, to come to her husband's 50th birthday party, we immediately made plans.  I loved how Kathy wrote a side note on the invitation "Greg - "SURPRISE"  SHHH!!!"

No worries there, Greg maintained the secrecy :)  Unfortunately, three days before the birthday party we didn't know if we would be able to keep the flight arrangements.  Nothing was wrong with the plans, it was the concern of the pregnancy specialist.  She requested to see me three days prior to flight to check and make sure all was well for flight (had something to do with being placenta previa).  It was just a quick check and she gave me the go-ahead.

We stayed at a hotel where Kathy had arranged for out-of-towners to stay at a reduced price.  When our rooms were ready, Kathy sent gift baskets to the room, how sweet!  Our gift basket included two types of cheese, flatbread crackers, chocolate bars and a chocolate chip cookie.  Now, I know things are done big in Texas, but wow, take a look at this cookie (regular sized chocolate bar on top to give an idea of size):

  

We arrived at the restaurant, where Kathy had reserved a large section for the party.  There were about 55 people there and amazingly, nobody let the cat out of the bag.  Danny was surprised and I think he even got a little teary-eyed to see so many friends and family there to celebrate his birthday.

(A special note:  The party was held on September 15th, which is Kathy's birthday.  Danny's actual birthday is a few days later.  Kathy told her husband she wanted to go to this particular restaurant for her birthday, an easy way to get him to the party location without him knowing anything.  So, when they arrived, Danny had no clue.  I thought that was very sweet on Kathy's part!)

Below is a YouTube video of a couple of quick clips from the surprise to singing happy birthday.  

Danny has a great group of friends and family.  It was fun to share this special time with them for Danny.

Not only was the party held at the restaurant, but so was supper.  We had a menu at each place setting, but if someone wanted something from the regular restaurant menu, they could order from that as well.

Later that night, my parents sent a couple of text pictures that made us smile.  My parents took care of our dog and cat while we were in Texas.  Here's what they sent:

Dad playing frisbee with Penny

 Penny snuggling with Mom

The next day, Kathy invited all of the out of town guests who had late flights to brunch.  We met at Danny & Kathy's house.

Then we caravan'd out to Gaylord Hotel.  Wow!  That was the first time going to a Gaylord's Hotel.  Think of a square and the outline of the square is where the hotel rooms are located.  The inside of the square is an atrium, closed in, but decorated in such a way that it feels as though you are outside.  

There is a river that runs throughout the entire atrium, a symbol of San Antonio.. sculptures everywhere and even waterfalls.  I loved it!

The brunch was a buffet style, including breakfast and lunch items and all sorts of yummy fruits and veggies and a chocolate fountain :)  

 After we toured around the hotel complex, we found a row of gift shops.  One of them was a jewelry store..... and Greg said, "I want to buy you something to remember our time in Texas."  We found a pendant titled "Family" - it is sterling silver and has a Mom, Dad and Baby :)

We also bought a Texas mug :)  It seems we have a new tradition now of collecting coffee mugs from various vacation places.  This one has the big Texas star on it and yes, the mug is larger than the standard mug size :)

As we left, we both mentioned how one day we would like to stay at a Gaylord's hotel for a vacation.  

Happy Birthday to Danny!  It was great to see you so surprised and spending the time with your friends and family.  Thanks to Kathy for making such awesome arrangements for everyone and for planning this thoughtful and sweet surprise for your husband!