Happy 70th Birthday Mom!!

Saturday, December 19th was mother’s 70th Surprise Birthday party held at our house. Approximately 25 people showed up to celebrate the event. The surprise went according to plan and mom didn’t see it coming.
My Aunt Betty was the frist to greet her with an authentic lei from Hawaii. She was also in charge of ensuring alcohol was available to all. The Mai Tais she cooked up took several people for a loop.
Didn't see it coming.Mom and her friends.
The party theme was Hawaiian (mom's place of birth) which was quite a gamble being that it was December 19th however, Mother Nature decided to float mom a present as well by giving us a beautiful 78 degree warm day to celebrate.
Laura made a deliciously elegant cake for the occasion as well as a classic coconut pudding called "haupia" that's customarily served at luaus which was delectable as well.
I think mom had too many mai tais at this point.
She was definitely tipsy at this point when she got up from her seat and proceeded to put on a blindfold and crazily wielded a stick she picked up for no apparent reason. Well, someone might have mentioned that there was a pinata she was supposed to be swinging at.

Georgia and I performed the security detail for the event. I used my height to survey the party and would strategically send Georgia through the crowd to take care of any unsightly disturbances. At the security briefing prior to the party Georgia and I set up two simple rules: No moshpits and no crowdsurfing. In this picture Georgia is pointing out a potential issue with some rough-housing being done by the kids which she quickly put a stop to.
And one final word...these guys suck. They're my friends who sat around and drank beer and "conversed" throughout the entire occasion. They skillfully positioned themselves so that they could enjoy watching me scurry around like a caffinated squirrel performing all the barbequing and hosting duties. Ugh.

And just what were they talking about at this little romantic table for two? They were geeking off about Time Warner Cable versus Direct TV. At odd times you could see them carressing their Blackberries as they talked about the latest Fry's advertisement.

I hope their computers crashed when they got home.