Dan's "Surprise" Party

I almost pulled it off...except I made the mistake of including the kids in the surprise party plans. How else could I explain all the fun things we were putting in our cart at the party supply store. I had no choice really...

Just days before the party, which was to be held a few days after Dan's actual birthday, we were all sitting in Dan's new hammock. Without thinking it through all the way, I told Zander that this is the new hammock we got Daddy for his birthday. To which he replied... "I thought we were having a surprise party!"

Well the cat was most definitely out of the bag now and instantly Dan and I just turned to each other and started laughing...well actually we were laughing so hard we had tears coming out of our eyes...then we looked at Zander and could tell it was hurting Zander's feelings, so we had to comfort him and let him know we weren't laughing at him.

Okay, so that brings us to the party. Our friend Scott came over to go "golfing" with Dan, but they actually went to the gym and met up with 3 of Dan's other friends to play basketball for 3 hours. When they were done playing, they got their goody bags which included Gatorade, a protein bar and a gym towel my mom personalized with their name and a basketball.

Then they all headed back to our house where more friends and family were waiting to eat dinner. I cooked up some chicken in the slow cooker and made rice and everyone else brought sides and salads.

Surprise! Here is Dan walking in wearing his old high school basketball jersey. I snuck it in the gym bag I dropped off with Scott the night before. (On a side note, I finished the painting in the hallway finally!!! This is the new lighter color.)

I made this poster to look like a high school poster and hung it up right as you walk in the door.
Then around the corner was this faux Blazer jersey...doctored up by Scott and Debbie.

Here's Dan with his Letterman's jacket on.

And here I am wearing Anne's high school cheer leading skirt. She and Dan went to the same high school, so it was perfect!

Many of our friends came dressed up in athletic gear too. (Scott and Debbie)

Here are the Parkers in their UofO gear.

Angel wore his high school jersey too...he and Dan were treating us all to a "gun" show!

Hanging out...
Watching the NBA finals.

And let's not forget the cake. This time I decided to serve Dan's favorite donuts instead of making a cake...he loved the idea!

Dig in!

Happy Birthday 35th Dan!

What's gotten into my husband?

I'm sure a few of you out there can relate to me when I say my husband is a little distracted lately. He's been calling up all his friends and chatting about the good news...For those of you who haven't heard, the Portland Trail Blazers just won the number one draft pick! It's been a long time coming, but I think this may be what gets me back on the Blazer's bandwagon.

For about 5 or 6 years the Blazers have really not been worth watching, in my opinion. I used to love watching the games back in the day (in the early to mid 90's). They were always in the playoffs and Blazermania was everywhere. But something happened (bad trades etc.) and we ended up with a team of losers, both on the court and off the court. Dan would turn the games on and I wouldn't recognise any of the players. I knew nothing about them, nor did I care to. Eventually I began recognizing some of the players by name as they were in the news a lot. Unfortunately, none of the news stories they were featured in were sports segments.

Back when Clyde, Terry, Jerome, Danny, Buck, Kevin and Cliff were part of our team, they were great. Great players and for the most part, great people. They were fun to get behind and route for. I just hope that having the number one draft pick will get us back to where we were, when watching basketball was fun. One thing is for sure, tickets are already selling like hotcakes. Dan tried to score some season tickets and all the good seats are all but gone.

On another note, did you guys catch Clyde on Dancing with the Stars? Let's just hope he doesn't trade in his basketball shoes in for dancing shoes. The guy was bad. And I mean bad in the original translation...not a good dancer at all. I have never seen such "white" dance moves from a black guy...especially one who's nicknamed Clyde the Glide! I am a HUGE fan of his, but he totally was not into this show. Most of the time he looked like he was thinking "get me out of here...I don't want to be doing this."

I was actually rooting for Joey to win, cause he made me laugh. He seems to have such a good sense of humor, but Apollo was just as good a dancer. It was exciting to watch both of them. Now that all my favorite reality shows have ended, there is only one more cliff-hanger left...tonight will be the 2-hour season finally of LOST (only the best show on tv right now!). I can't believe how good the show has gotten over the past 3 months. So many questions have been answered, yet so many mysteries remain. I have never anticipated a show like I do this one. The character development, the story line and the writing are brilliant. I could go on and on. There were a lot of "spoilers" on 2 Peas (scrapbooking message board) today and I just had to get off the computer before I was tempted to look. If you are as crazy about this show as I am you will be glad to know that their contracts were renewed through 2010!!!

Well, I have Zander's preschool program tonight, but you can bet Dan and I will be racing home to put the kid's in bed so we can watch our show!

By the way, my dad had a doctor's appointment today and his PSA levels are still going down slightly. Not to where they should be, but the doctor was pleased that they are going in the right direction. Thanks for all who continue to pray. His next appointment with his surgeon will be in July.

Good News, Bad News

Good News: our best friends just adopted their second baby boy! Hooray!!!
Bad News: they have to stay in a hotel until Tuesday when all the paperwork is finalized.

Good News: My dad finished his radiation treatments a month ago.
Bad News: his PSA tests are still high, so he may not be done fighting cancer. Another test on Monday will tell the doctors how to proceed. Please be in prayer for my dad as he isn't feeling well through all of this.

Good News: After working really hard to lose 10 pounds before our trip to Disneyland, I only gained a couple back after our vacation!!!
Bad News: I made up for it over the Easter holiday!

Good News: Our ant guy came back out to spray for ants.
Bad News: We still have ants.

Good News: Dan turned off the water.
Bad News: Our upstairs toilet leaked and it is now coming through the living room ceiling!

Dad's Cancer Fight

As many of you know, my Dad found out last week that his prostate cancer is back. He just met with the radiation oncologist today for several hours and learned what is in store for him these next few months. He will be receiving radiation treatments every day, but all who are involved seem very optimistic. Please keep him in your prayers during the next couple months.

Picture of the Day 12-09

Baby Bob

Here is my dad 60 years ago...born December 1, 1946. Don't you just love those "vintage" baby photos? So sweet!

Dad's 60th Birthday Bash

For his 60th birthday, all the "kids" threw him a 50's themed birthday party

We had a diner style menu of homemade cheeseburgers, fries and soda. I got those cute retro burger baskets online and they were the perfect touch.

Here's Bob's Big Boy (aka Aaron). Notice they are both wearing shorts in the middle of December...Crazy!

Mid-way through the meal, the guys/kids got the Nerf guns out and pandemonium broke out. Here is Dan shooting my mom. Did I really just type that? He wanted the gun she was using and wouldn't take no for an answer. Look at how many times she was hit in the arm! Sorry Mom...all in good fun right?

My dad is not a big game player, so instead I posted this up for everyone to ponder: Name that Bob. Can you name them all?

Here I am getting the banana splits ready.

Singing Happy Birthday to Dad

Here's my dad with his banana split and a huge spoon...the better to eat it with.

My brother got my dad a remote control newer-model Mustang. My dad used to drive a red Mustang, old-school style...very cool.

Before he left for the night, Grandpa turned into a one man amusement park ride. Here he is flipping the grandkids.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Today my Dad turns 60 years old. Rumor has it, by turning 60, he has broken some kind of family curse...you see my grandpa, his dad, died early when I was only 7.

Way to go Dad! I'm sure this birthday is especially meaningful after your bout with cancer. We are so glad everything turned out for the best. I mailed you your birthday card and you should get it today, but if you want a sneek peek, you can see it posted on my Paper Capers blog.

Looking forward to celebrating with you on the 9th. (We had to postpone the party because Aaron and Tami are out of town.)