Oh My God... I Love Surprises!

Have you ever had a secret?  Have you ever had to keep that secret from your best friend for months?  I have.  It was torture. 

One of my best friends lives in Chicago and I haven't seen her since our undergrad's homecoming in early October.  We were trying to figure out when we would see each other next - and I knew it was sooner than later.  

Why?  A surprise birthday party.

I think surprise birthday parties are a staple in American Culture.  What's better than the anticipation of thinking about their reaction, sneakily planning the event, and then the actual surprise itself?  If you really want to understand what I'm talking about, check out this SNL skit:  Surprise Party.

Personally, I've had one experience of being the recipient of a surprise party - I think it's when I turned 12 and my elementary school friends put it together.  My favorite gift of the evening: Pretty Woman. It was legit.

My best friend's party was a twenty-something celebration and was a bit more sophisticated, but the outcome was the same.  She was super surprised and we may or may not have made her cry.  So although it was hard to be the secret keeper - it was well worth seeing her face.  Cause that's the best part.