Running Down the Halls: SURPRISE!!!

As you know, Thursday was Ryan's 30th Birthday. I had planned a low-key dinner and a couple of gifts for his actual birthday, but had much bigger plans in store to really celebrate! We gathered a few of our closest friends on Friday night to celebrate his big 3-0!! I coordinated with all of the girls to have a surprise dinner at Bonefish Grill. We arranged babysitters for all of the little ones (which NEVER happens) and had a wonderful night out celebrating one of our favorite guys!!

I told Ryan that we had a dinner date planned and Amanda would be here to watch Barrett and we would eat dinner at 7:00. Everything went according to plan and we were out the door ON TIME!! It was a shock to me that we actually had it together and were out of the house without incident.

We drove a little down the road when the girls started texting me to STALL because our table was not ready! I had no idea how I could accomplish this since we were already gone. I tried slowing down Ryan's driving and asking lots of questions when I finally came up with a plan. I asked him if he had any gum. Gum? Yes, I know it was lame, but I was desperate. We have four giant containers of gum in the pantry, but none in the car! He agreed to stop at Walgreen's, where I was trying my best to make sure we had enough time so the group could at least hide near the table. I asked for lipgloss, debated on gum flavors and also had the sales girl assist in my plans to stall. Great job, salesgirl!

When we arrived at the restaurant, the table still wasn't ready, so I had Ryan drop me at the door. The gang squeezed into a corner and I arranged with the hostess to play along. She escorted us to the table and SURPRISE!! Ryan saw the group and was on to the fact that we pulled one over on him!

Our dinner was delicious and the company was even better! We had a wonderful time together celebrating Ryan's big day. I couldn't have done it without the help of the girls - from picking up the cupcakes to making toppers and a gift to helping come up with our group gift, everyone was tremendous! Our gift to Ryan was a compilation of the Top 10 Things We Love About Ryan. Allyson helped me put this together to make it pretty and it was such a perfect gift!!

Thanks to all of our friends for helping to make this guy's birthday so special. We love you all!