The Big Surprise

Mommy, we need you and Daddy to stay asleep for a little while longer. We are working on a project.

Those few words were just enough to strike fear into my heart. A project?? What kind of project could a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old be doing that does not include (a) a mess; (b) blood; (c) both??

It was a very complicated “project” and I was informed on the way to camp that it would be ready for us when we got home later that evening.

Mom and Dad, Please go through the gate to your room. there [sic] open. from Beernut! PS: Please stay there!

This was hanging on the front door when I got home from work.

Go to my room? Stay there until I received further instructions?? I’m liking this surprise already!

Ninety minutes later, PC arrived home and came around back. Within moments, Beernut, Poppyseed, and Peach appeared.

Follow us.

And so we did. Our hosts led us on a tour, showing us each station that had been prepared for the evening.

May we show you to your table?

Once seated, we were given a menu.

Menu. Snacks: salad or chips. Drinks: milk, water, beer (a lot), diet coke, apple juice. Todays special: cheddar cheese and pasta, Poppyseed’s salad dressing (crossed out with the words “it was aful [sic]” next to it!).

There was a separate kids’ menu and also a couple of options given verbally by our server, Poppyseed.

It was not the fanciest meal. In fact, the fare was rather disjointed. But it was made with such care and love.

The first after-dinner activity was Wii. PC and I got to play the game of our choice (WarioWare Smooth Moves) and battle for the title, Wii Master.

I lost.

But we had so much fun…

The final activity for the evening was held at the music center on the patio in the garden. Beernut had set up the CD player. Lenny Kravitz. Good choice, Beernut! Truth-be-told, the kids did the dancing while the happy parents did the watching.

It was a lovely evening. One filled with food, family, and fun. One that bore a great deal of similarity to the evenings on our cruise…

Thanks, kids. We loved every minute of it!