SURPRISE!!

 Last week we worked our tails off preparing food and decorating the hall in secrecy so Tom wouldn't suspect that our daughters and I were planning a surprise retirement party for him.
The last two days before the party I wasn't so sure that we had pulled it off but went on pretending that we were going to our next door neighbor's surprise wedding anniversary party.  It wasn't until we walked through the doors ( everyone else was already there by the time we arrived) and our guests began cheering and whistling and the shock on Tom's face when he 'saw' who the guests were and the realization that the party was actually for HIM that I knew he had never suspected a thing!  It was so much FUN!!

I forgot to bring my camera and am so bummed out about that, but I was hoping that maybe the girls remembered to bring theirs and would take photos of the cake and buffet table and  decorations.  They took a few pics on their cell phones and only a few of those were any good.

 

A friend of the family took this family photo of Tom and I, our daughters and our grandchildren.

Too late, I realized no one thought to get some photos of Tom with his buddies from work which would have been a nice momento for him.

One of Tom's buddie's wife offered to make us rigatoni and my friend and neighbor made us stuffed cabbages, both were delicious and so much appreciated!  We also had friends and relatives who offered to bring cookies which was also wonderful.  

Menu:

Fried chicken, hot sausages w/rolls, rigatoni, stuffed cabbages, Chinese coleslaw, hoagie salad, linguini salad, potato & cheese casserole, kolbasi in pineapple and brown sugar, mandarin orange jelly dessert and a sheet cake & cookies galore!

We also had a DJ who is a co-worker of our eldest daughters.

★Denise★