Surprise! You're 40.

I have been planning this surprise since last year. The idea first came into my brain when we stayed at my uncle & aunt's house for mom's funeral. But truly, my brain wasn't really functioning again for a couple of months. Anyway, my uncle is an artist. He does these amazing sketches and paintings. And at the time (I think), he had just sold his first painting. Steven's always had an attachment to his Grandma's house and in his heart it symbolized so many things for him. I never had the honor of meeting Grandma but this was his home away from home and where his heart lay.

I was able to secretly send some photos of Grandma's house to Uncle Roy and he created this wonderful watercolor masterpiece for us. I was down in my hometown again in April and I picked up the painting and slyly transported it into our house.

Now here comes the tricky part. How to get it out of the house to be framed? I can't remember who I was talking to but they mentioned that Micheal's usually had coupons for various items so I was advised to wait until I could find a coupon. We don't receive coupons at the Mothership household so what to do? Aha, I called Darrin. He gets flyers and lots of them. He promised me that he'd keep an eye out for the coupon and would let me know as soon as he saw it. Excellent.

Darrin. Good as his word. He calls one night, talks to Steven. And passes a message to me THROUGH Steven. It was something like this: "let Lori know that thing we talked about? I found it."

Frickin' Darrin.

Thankfully Steven is thinking that I'm getting him a Blu-Ray or a power tool. Or a GPS. Not exactly sure how his brain made that leap, but who am I to judge?

Darrin comes over that weekend to give me the coupon. We're all in the backyard doing gardening and he chats to Steven about something garage-related and soon enough Steven is going to the garage. Darrin is digging in his wallet to scramble to give me the coupon and Steven returns to see part of a red piece of paper.

It gets better.

I have a candle party to go to the next weekend so I tell Steven that I am going to go early because I want to go to the mall to get a pair of sandals. Not a lie. I DO want to buy a pair of sandals. So he tries to get me to take John with me but I tell him that I want some "me" time (again, not a lie) and I leave the house. I go to Michael's, pick out my mattes and custom frame and then go to the mall. I park the car and start walking towards the door when I notice Steven circling the parking lot and driving up to me.

What the hell? Is he following me?

So now he thinks that I have his present in the trunk of the car. (which I don't but about 30 minutes ago, I did).

Fast forward a couple of weeks. Micheal's calls me at work to let me know that the painting is ready. I tell Steven that I'm going to the library and zoom over pick up the painting and go to Darrin's to wrap the painting and leave it there for him to hide. I make him promise that he moves it from the living room and actually HIDES it. In the weeks leading up to the birthday, Steven is at Darrin's house and is scouting out his garage and house for any signs of the above hoped for Blu-Ray, power tool or GPS. Darrin also lets slip that I was at his house one day.

Friggin' Darrin.

But I managed to pick up the painting on Thursday night, sneak it back into the house and hide it UNDER THE BED!!!! (because I'm sneaky like that)

SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! LOVE YOU LOTS!