Best surprise ever!!!

After about a 1 1/2 months of planning, we just had a surprise b.day party for Rachel's 30'th birthday. My parents and 2 of my siblings from NY and my sister and her family from Ind. all drove for a couple of days and arrived in Hobe Sound this afternoon. Rachel had NO idea that they were coming. John and I had been getting things worked out for several weeks - places for everyone to stay, getting Rach off work for a few days without her knowing, reserving a room and a cake etc. Our friend Emerald got together with Rachel today to "hang out" with her and then she told Rach that she would take Rach and John out to dinner tonight for Rachel's upcoming birthday. John had reserved a room at a Golden Corral about 30 min. from their house (an hour from our's). Ironically, last night when Rach and John were talking about going out to dinner with Emerald, Rachel suggested that they go to that Golden Corral. WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! We couldn't have gotten that aspect of it to work out any better. John said that he about fell over when Rach suggested it and then he worried she was on to us. She wasn't though. We thought she maybe suspected that they were meeting up with Kevin and I but she said that after they talked about going to GC last night (which is the opposite direction from their house from where we live) she didn't even really think that anyone else would be there. (Her b.day is actually this Friday). Well, she was very, very shocked and we were all quite pleased that we had pulled it off. These next picture are when we were all standing around waiting.


The cake, balloons, & presents. You can't see it but the
cake was halfway unfrosted. John knows Rach doesn't
usually like the frosting on cakes so he ordered a third of
it without frosting. The lady told him it might look ugly
but he said, "Well, it's the thought that counts!" - too funny!


My [only] brother, dad, and my sister Lynette


Kay-Kay and Aunt Joy (my youngest sister). Kay-Kay
was so excited to see Joy and her cousins - she loves Joy!


So we walk into the reserved room and see these people
sitting back there. Come to find out, they have free
fingerprinting and ID stuff every Tuesday night for a few
hours at that Golden Corral. My mom was watching out
the window for Emerald, Rach, & John and Kevin took this
picture of her in front of the ID screen. :) We told the
people in there what was going on so when Rach walked
in, one of the guys (you'll see him in a later pic.) said, "I
don't know you but happy birthday". They all seemed
to enjoy getting to see the surprise. (I think they were
bored anyway. :) No one came while we were there)


We had shut all of the blinds and these (?) shutters so
that Rach wouldn't be able to see us when they walked
in and were standing in line. My mom and Emilee were
watching Rach, John, & Emerald in line once they arrived.