Sammi was the "designer" behind all of the printed materials, and did and AWEsome job. Like, really. Amazing. Paige handled food, I did all of the decorations and interactions, and Nani handled the guest list and drinks and the rest of the food. We held conference calls and sent more e-mails than I could count, just to make sure Papa's day was perfect.
We decided on a Rock-N-Roll theme, and more specifically, ZZ Top. You just can't get any better than that, and we knew he would love it. I kept finding more and more ideas for decorations, and Sammi just created them - it was a match made in heaven :)
Our covert scheme actually started on Friday night, before the party. The idea was to take dad out to dinner and have Andre', Sammi and family show up and tell Dad THAT was his surprise for the weekend. They ended up getting stuck in traffic, but came later that night and Dad was thrilled. We all have so much fun together that they couldn't miss it! The guys told Dad that they had to get up really early the next morning, because they got to kidnap him for the morning.
Little did Dad know, we were all trying to hang calmly around the house until the left...the shooting range was just a distraction to get.them.out of the house! They finally left around 8:30, and it was on! The amount of stuff we did in the short 4 hours before the party was unbelievable. We had food, chairs, tables, and décor hidden under porches, in closets, and in cars - all over the place!
We scrambled and ran around like crazy people, but got it all done. The guys showed back up just in time - most of Dad's friends and family had already arrived, so he had a great welcome when he got home!
Nolan couldn't wait for him to get home!
Some of Dad's old "ball buddies" came...it was so special!
We let it all sink in and then gave Dad the tour. Everyone had "VIP Backstage Passes" to wear - Dad got his special one. Everyone signed in when they arrived and got their pass. We made a welcome sign, and it was perfect!
The living room was the "Main Stage." I really wanted to do a photo booth, and set out to make it look as real as possible. We found a picture of a perfect ZZ Top car, I had fake beards, hats and sunglasses to complete the look. Each hat was bedazzled like crazy, and I found a picture of three actual ZZ Top guitars that I tried to recreate. I think they came out okay, and the photo booth was a huge hit!
Who knew they had a white FURRY guitar?! Michael's craft store is my best friend...
The Main Stage, aka the living room - ha!
Dad and Uncle Phil...the beards were hilarious!
Dad really got into character...you can tell he played air guitar a LOT!
Perhaps the best ZZ Top impersonator of the night :)
Next up in the kitchen we had the sign in table with a big sign for Dad to keep and the VIP Passes (which I completely forgot to photograph!) The kitchen buffet held his birthday banner plus some signs that contained ZZ Top lyrics - we had those stationed all over the house.
His party favors were rock candy, and Sammi made labels that said, "Sixty Rocks."
Paige's restaurant catered the food, and we had pulled pork BBQ, Mac N Cheese, Slaw, Collard Greens and salad. The Mac N Cheese was the best I have ever had!
60 and Still Sexy...you got it, Papa!
A sweet friend of mine at work is awesome at making iced sugar cookies, so I asked her to make these guitars. They turned out so well, and tasted great too! I think Dad was really surprised at all of the little details. I think he was also surprised that we did ALL of it without him knowing!
It was just such a special night and I am so thankful we were able to do something truly special for Dad. He is the most humble, loving, patient and kind person I have ever known, and he truly deserved even more than we could have done. I am so happy he had a great time, and that his 60th year started off super memorable. We love you Daddy/Papa! xoxox
This turned out SOOOO cute!
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