Nana Doreen's 60th Surprise birthday

September 28, 2007 Friday
My Family: Left to right: Arleen, Cheri, Fredi, Doreen (aka Mom and Nana), Eric, and Derek.

Today was my mother's 60th surprise birthday and just like with any other party, some last minute stuff had to be done. Both cars were fully loaded with food and decorations and lastly, we secured all 4 children for the drive to the Orland Park Civic Center in Illinois. Just when we were 2 blocks down the road, I realized I forgot my tripod and had to retrieve it. I couldn't imagine having my niece Adira carry my flash unit around at the party...



(pictures are from the Orland Park Civic Center website)

While the buffet table was prepped, and table decorations were set out- I somehow got stuck hanging white Xmas icicle lights. This meant I had to untangle 8 strands of lights and test it to see if it was operational. I then clambered up a ladder and hoped I would not fall with Kai and Cohen running around below. At one time, Kai took to climbing the ladder also.
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After some frustration the hall was aglow and I quickly dressed (thank goodness my face was already made up!) and started to prepare my camera equipment. Greg got Kai dressed in a cute blue tie, borrowed from his twin buddy Lukas, and looked pretty dapper standing next to daddy Greg who was in a suit. Kai then took off to run with the other children present.

As people filed in for the party, I heard Greg tell Kai to put the beer bottle back, followed by a loud crash! Kai had thrown the bottle into the cooler which shattered into pieces on the other unopened bottles! People were picking glass shards out...
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I resumed my camera set up. I had tested my gear, was fully set to go, when my brother Eric had announced Mom was walking into the facility. Just then I heard another loud CRASH! And I whipped around to see my tripod with my expensive flash unit had been knocked over and glass was everywhere...and I saw red...who else would be at the base of the unit, with big eyes and a shocked look, followed by a loud wail? Only KAI !!! Someone grabbed him before I did, because I wanted to spank him...
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I quickly reassembled my flash unit, and saw that the flash filament was still intact hoping it was still functional, and just as soon as I got into position- Mom walks through the door with her sister Auntie Rosa and my older of brothers Fredi.
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Thank goodness I was able to get those precious facial expressions at that moment, and all through the night!


Mom was in a daze- people were hugging her left and right. I was blinding her with my flash and when I finally lowered my camera- I said, "Hi Mom!" which she gave me a puzzled look, and Greg and Kai hugged her. It was then she realized I had flown in for this event- and she just about cried. She asked when did I arrive? And why didn't I let her know? (Mom- it was a surprise, part of the deal you know?) You see, I had told her we would not be able to afford to fly out as we would have to pay Kai's way when he turned two. And we probably wouldn't see each other for a couple of years. I had also mailed her a birthday card a week ago regretting that we wouldn't be there to celebrate her birthday (officially the following day and just to throw her off). She scolded me...that's my Mom!
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The whole time, my mother thought she would be attending this fundraising event with Fredi. He would be our only excuse to get her dressed up for a night out, as he is the dancer in the family. Any other sibling would have made her suspicious as of why she should get nicely made up.

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We were worried the plan would go askew, as Fredi had to fly out last minute on a business trip to Mexico. I worried that if he didn't return in time, the family would be incomplete, and Mom would not feel 100% happiness. You see, we are Mom's assets- she loves to have us around everywhere we go, and she shows the pride she has with us. So it would have been a flop, had Fredi not returned in time. But that's old news now!

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In addition, we thought she was suspicious because we found she had called off work today. She said she was feeling depressed and did not want her co-workers to wish her a happy birthday. Little did she know!

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My mother is really intuitive and I asked her if she had any idea whatsoever. She said it was "God's honest truth" she did not know, and pointed out she would not lie to God. So amazingly no one spilled the beans.

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Time came to do our mother-sibling dance. Fredi made this terrific slide show dubbed with a music mix of songs that each of us wanted to dedicate to mom. The songs reminded us of her. Mine was Twist and Shout by the Beatles, as she always liked to shake to that with dad when I was a kid. After my 2-minute dance, the next older sibling would cut in with a rose and dance with her for the next couple minutes. During the whole time she couldn't peel her eyes from the projected pictures while dancing, laughing, and crying...

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Click here to hear the music mix: http://pages.ripco.com/~bones/sibdance.mp3

Later the grandchildren approached her, each with a rose, while the Disney "Wish Upon a Star" played...

With everyone dancing, eating and drinking, I ran around with my camera taking tons of pictures. Kai often found me amongst the crowd and would cling to my leg making picture-taking arduous.

Near the end of the night, I gave a speech. I thanked everyone for attending this special occasion and announced that Mom really wasn't 60 years old but would be 61 tomorrow- and the reason why we couldn't throw this party last year was due to her battle with colon cancer (which she was in so much pain and was emaciated) and because of this would not enjoy her party then.

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I also announced (with my voice cracking and my eyes swelling with tears) that we were so close to losing our mother. I showed them I had been saving a medal for her that I obtained as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society a couple of years ago, hoping for the right moment to give it to her. I ended the speech with great news that about a week ago she had seen her doctor who, after giving mom a series of tests, told her that she was CANCER-FREE! Her lymph nodes were not affected and the cancer had not spread! Her next follow-up would be in 3 years!

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I took the medal off from around my neck and beckoned mom to receive it. It was a bronze medal that hung on a purple ribbon, with "Survivor" written on it, and it hung beautifully around her neck. Cheers and clapping followed- and my mom gave her speech. She worked hard and deserved this moment.

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What perfect timing to get this news before her birthday party???

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I found out later that I had not lost my skills as a Thespian. I remembered hating my English teacher demanding that I "articulate" my words and finally got it right when I surprised her when I took first place amongst 25 other high schools in a speech competition. Well, tonight it paid off again- I discovered I had made some guests cry, and in particular I made a man cry...Now that's what I call an achievement! ha ha.

Mom danced the night away. We had a great DJ that could do back flips and handstands. And my sister's husband Matthew made a great performance dancing like Michael Jackson- that really got Mom to laugh, especially when Mark came up and tucked a dollar bill into his pants! I could tell mom really enjoyed herself by the expressions on her face by looking at all the pictures taken. I love the faces she makes when she really gets into dancing !!!

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The food was great, Cheri did a great job organizing it and getting the invites out and Derek's girlfriend Jen did a great job with the hall decorations (maybe you should be a wedding coordinator as a side gig?) And everyone did a great job making the party a hit. Thanks everyone!

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Click here to see a music slide show that I made... http://amoreimages.com/Doreen60th/