omgwtfbbq!!!1!one!1!

We worked late for a Friday today, so Seppo and I stopped by In ‘N Out on the way home, then picked up our dog, then got home at the late hour of 9:15. I was tired after a long day, but was glad to be home. Besides, I always perk up after picking up Mobi, driving back home with him on my lap while I babble like a foolish idiot to him about his day.

I tried to open the downstairs door, and I didn’t have my keys, so Seppo laughed at me and started to walk upstairs. Apparently, he had his keys with him. I followed along, and noted that Joe’s light was on, but the rest of the house was dark. It seemed kind of weird, because whenever someone is home, at least one of the livingrooms has the light on, but I didn’t think anything of it. I entered the door after Seppo and turned around to turn on the porch light, noticing kind of absent-mindedly that there were a bunch of people in the livingroom.

My first fleeting thought was the Joe had guests over to watch a movie, but the tv wasn’t on. In the next split second, I thought, Oh no, am I walking into a bunch of people doing something bizarre (at our age, anyway) like playing Post Office? Or is Joe having a meeting of kinky sex orgy enthusiasts? Why are they all staring at me in the dark? Ack! Who turned on the light? Wait, who are these people? I know these people. They just said something, but I’m too busy processing the group. It just clicks that all these people are linked by me, and I finally chug through the words I had heard moments ago. I think it was “Happy Birthday” or “Surprise” but I honestly am not sure.

At some point, my brain decided to start working again, and it actually (finally) dawned on me that this is a surprise party! For me! Woo!

Seppo had gotten together a bunch of people behind my back. Hee. Sneaky. Alan, Becky, Dara, Lindsi, Joe, Stephen, Vis, Max, Claire, Nick, Gene, Heather, baby Aiden, Klay, Nana, Edy, Jeannie, Uyen, and Charles all showed up, coming from all over the bay area. So wonderful! I got a couple of incredibly thoughtful and personal presents (a book I really am itching to dig into and a personalized CD and a truffle-like cake ETA: and a Flickr Pro account), but mostly, I was so overwhelmed that all these people had spent their Friday night to come to see me. I got to see Gene and Heather’s baby for the first time, and he was really cute and tiny. I held him for a bit, but I must have been somewhat awkward, so he cried a little. Gene was really good at making him stop crying by making a vacuum-like sound.

There were friends from school, friends from jobs, friends made via Seppo, and a friend from high school, and it was so great to spend an evening with friends. As I get older, I get to value each friend more and more, and realize that I don’t really have a strong desire to make other, newer connections, but to really dedicate myself to the friends I already have. I forgot to take pics, but Edy took a bunch of pics which I will steal from him. 🙂

When we clean up the house, I vow to have more casual dinners where we hang out with our good friends. I wish I could have tried to figure out how to properly encourage friend mixing, but I’m so bad socially. Heh.

Thanks everyone. It’s one of those memories I’ll have for a while to come. :’)