SURPRISE! 30th Anniversary Party (Part 2)

I drove over to Mom & Dad's house while the guests were continuing to arrive, somehow managed to persuade Dad to be blindfolded (although he whined about it the whole way there!! :) and got them to the party. 

I'm thinking the whole shabang was completely worth it for this picture:

So funny!!

Ready .... SURPRISE! And, believe it or not, it really was a surprise! Dad said he absolutely loved it when he realized he was walking into a room full of many of his favorite people, several of whom had to drive a pretty good ways to get there. (Sorry I'm in the picture.)

Ready to party :)

Lots of good friends ready for hugs:

More hugs & people making their way toward the margarita machine :)

Dad with Aunt Jana & Uncle Keith:

Getting the buffet started, mmmm fajitas:

Los Cucos did a great job catering. AND they kept their word and didn't put a bit of cilantro in anything! (Dad has an allergy to cilantro.)

The frame Aunt Tricia brought for everyone to sign - and the invitation we sent out in the middle for now:

Mom getting to hold her grandbaby and show her off to friends that she hasn't seen in a while:

Grady & I did a bit of a different "toast" about the last 30 years ... I'm going to do a separate post for that in just a minute. After we spoke, Mom & Dad cut the cake:

I just love this photo!! Who knows what made Mom laugh this hard - there was LOTS of laughter all evening :)

Then we invited anyone who would like to make a toast in honor of Chuck & Shari or share a favorite or funny memory. The many speeches were awesome! And of course we could count on Jim to get the ball rolling :)

Papaw's salute:

Sarah's toast:

Meanwhile, Grady & I finished cutting the cake & passing it out. I was shocked at how much was actually consumed! Perfect quantity if I do say so myself :) Apparently cookie cake is a good choice for a party.

The toasts and memories continue:

I think Mom & Dad enjoyed them :) They were all so funny and sweet. This was a great group of people.

Can always count on TJ for a good laugh!

And the Talbots!

Dad speaking:

Aunt Tricia: 

Aunt Jana:

Nona & Pawpaw with festive Clara (although I'm not sure how they managed to get a hold of her - there was lots of baby snatching going on!)

Our family:

Many gallons of margaritas later Bryan's still filling it the machine up:

What I love about gatherings like this is how much everyone loves visiting with each other! Especially since many of them haven't seen each other in a while.

I'm glad the Baldwins were able to to make too.

Several people stayed behind to help us clean up which we REALLY appreciated! You know the party is a hit when people stay over 5 hours, and then only start leaving once we start subtly cleaning up, haha. I love it when folks WANT to stay!

Although I suppose I really overdid it yesterday because today everywhere from my c-section is so incredibly sore. Probably because I was moving tables and chairs and walking and basically just on my feet for 10+ hours. Oops. I was beat by the end of the evening so thank you for helping us load up the car, take out the trash and get the place tidy again. We appreciate it!!

Clara projectile vomited for the very first time at the end of the evening too. I think she was probably really over stimulated. She seems to be feeling much better today! And I think she must have been really worn out too, because after nursing at midnight when we got home, she slept until FIVE FIFTEEN! That's right ... 5 hours of sleep in one stretch. Bryan and I were very thankful!

Mom & Dad, I hope you two had a wonderful time at the party! We love you so incredibly much and admire the team that the two of you make. I'm proud of how hard you try to make your marriage continue to work, and what a great example you set for young couples like Bryan and I, and Grady and Marissa. Love you! And happy 30th anniversary!!