Saturday, June 8th was Doc's exact half birthday, so I threw him a party! That might sound weird but it wasn't just any half birthday, it was his 39 and a half birthday. As in, he'll be FORTY in December. And we all know December is the worst time of year to try to plan a non-Christmas party. Plus, I thought this would be a much better way to catch him off guard. Did I mention it was a surprise party??
First, the details: I rented out a bar, yes a bar - one that used to be an old brothel, actually - for the party. Obviously I couldn't have it at our house because he might notice me getting ready for it. As far as food and drinks went, I just had to supply the wine (it's a beer-only bar and we kept it simple) and the sweets. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to decorate myself before the party (because I'd be with Doc), I kept the party decorations very simple. For the tables, I bought silver sparkly trees to sit next to black and white photos of Doc through the years. But not a whole picture, just half. :)
I'll go ahead and confess that I didn't actually know his ages in these pictures, so it's a total guess. Bill and Pat, feel free to correct me!
The cook, pictured above with half of Doc, kept the soul burgers coming hot off the griddle all night long. Man, these cheeseburgers are sinfully good! In keeping with the theme, they were served in halves.
The birthday cake was made to match the party invitation - both designed to look like they had been cut in half.
Now, getting the birthday boy to the party venue was a little tricky. It started at 7:00 and this is a bar that doesn't get hoppin' until well after midnight. I tried my best to make it seem like we were going out to dinner, and then right when we were passing the bar on the sidewalk I grabbed him and said "Hey, let's stop in here!"
SURPRISE!
Truthfully, I think he knew something was going on because I don't often make plans without including him. But hopefully he was at least surprised at the location and the number of our friends that showed up. I was so thrilled to see such a crowd!
Here are pics of a bunch of the people that came to party.
(Jenny's date was out of town!)
Me and my bridesmaids! So glad these girls are still a big part of my life!
One of the most popular things about this bar - right after the soul burgers - is that the music is all from the juke box. I didn't really think that through when I was planning the party but our guests didn't seem to mind filling it with dollars to pick good tunes. These guys were pros at picking the best ones!
Only Emily would "halfway" pose with half of my husband. :)
This was really the most perfect venue to have the party. Good food, good beer, good music, tables to sit at, room to mingle, dance floor and pool tables to further entertain you. Oh, and no cleaning up at the end of the night!
Christopher and Matt carefully line up a good shot.
Obligatory picture with the cake before cutting into it.
Looks like he loves me! I wonder if I'd told him yet that there'd be a bill to pay at the end of the night, and that I was going to let him take care of that. SURPRISE!
It's not a half party without half a party hat. We sang the birthday song to him too - but just half of it.
Dancin' the night away.
Several guests brought gifts for Doc, so towards the end of the night we sat him down to open them.
He got SO many fun gifts! Half pints of beer, half handles of liquor, half six packs, cards cut in half, half boxes of golf balls.
Allison and Jenny brought a half martini tray.
Hopefully you can read all the half items included in the picture below. So creative!
My dad gave him a half of a golf hat.
And with it came - wait for it - a half a golf glove!
Not pictured is the half a bag of tootsie rolls from my mom (Doc's very favorite candy!). The first thing he said the day after the party was, "I wonder where the other half of the bag of tootsie rolls is."
This is the picture of all his loot that we took the next morning, and I think a couple things are actually missing. We'll have to have another party just get rid of it all!
More partying!
My mom and three of her besties. My friends and I hope we're like them when we grow up.
So we tried to recreate their picture together. Not too bad, I think.
The party was so, so, so much fun! And I think Doc really enjoyed it! I am so grateful to all of our friends that came out (and go babysitters!) to spend their evening with us; it really means a lot.
Oh, and this post would not be possible at all if it weren't for Allison graciously taking pictures all night. She also decorated for me in advance. Many, many thanks, Allison!