Oh my goodness sakes alive Becca says it's half past five! WHAT AN ADVENTURE! We had barely arrived home from our trip to Carmel by-the-sea and Monterey Bay (next post) and found our front yard and porch decorated to the hilt with pink flamingos, pinwheels, balloons, (all my favorites!!); along with a string of lights hung on our outdoor lights with Happy Birthday and big pink blow up flamingo hanging from it!
Jon and I were stunned! WHAT FUN! HOW CREATIVE! WHO WAS THE CULPRIT?!
It was after 11:00 p.m. when we arrived home from Vegas so not long after we hit the hay :) The next morning our sister Kay texted me asking if we would like to meet up for dinner or lunch the following day if we were too tired. I'm like a zombie after a long trip so I told here it was a bra less, no makeup, overly conditioned hair kind of day and how about lunch the following day. GAME ON - LITTLE DID i KNOW!
Not long after, while dragging around the house and attempting to unpack, etc., I received a text message from a phone number I wasn't familiar with (??) telling me to answer my door right away. Earlier I had heard our little Missybelle barking (which means someone was at the front door) but I was not able to answer it and then forgot that someone must have come by until I received the text message. So off to the door I ran and there was a note with a pink flamingo printed on it and CLUE #1 ... I was to follow the directions ... YIKES! My bra less, no makeup, overly conditioned hair kind of day just turned the corner of crazy and fun! :)
I called out to Jon, who was working outside in the back yard, to hurry in we were being summoned on an adventure or sorts! I slapped on some make up, but on a bra LOL and even curled my hair a tad because I had no idea what to expect but DIDN'T want to look like a spook doing it - what ever it was or would be Our first clue led us to a historic park in a neighboring town and low and behold was another clue! From there that clue led us to a tasty donut shop across town. We were told that our donuts were paid for in advance and to order what ever we desired! YUM!
We were then given another clue which led us to the other end of town to a fun game and activity center (mini golf, bowling, arcade games, etc.) We had some fun playing games and then went home feeling so loved and so delighted that SOMEONE took the time to plan such a fun adventure for us!
All the while throughout the afternoon of giggles and mayhem Jon and I kept trying to guess who planned this? I asked our darling daughter Ash if she was responsible but she lives a few hours away so her response that she only wished she had thought up something so fun for me; and because she lives further than maybe a half hour I ruled her out. I asked our sweet niece Jami if she was in on this, thinking perhaps she was aware of my love of crazy pink flamingos, pinwheels, balloons, sparkle lights and such but her response was to the effect that she had heard of people being flocked (by a flock of flamingos) before but had never seen one and someone was sure having fun! I ruled her out. WHO HAD HATCHED THIS PLAN?? I asked our sister Kathy though she also lives far away in an opposite direction from our home; after all SHE was the first to humor my love of pink flamingos many many years ago while living back East! She sent me two, hot pink, plastic, tacky flamingo yard ornaments!! They turned into a side splitting story for the countless hundreds of people I trained through my company trainingwithatwist.com (but then that's another story ) :) She insisted it wasn't her!
I had been texting and calling Ashley off and on telling her about our adventure and that we couldn't find a clue or look where we ended up and who would have done this?! She was excited about it and said she wished someone would send her on a scavenger hunt. lol I reminded her that I had! She was a couple of weeks before giving birth to our little grandson and one of her dearest friends had flown out from Pennsylvania to visit her and Paul so I planned a really fun hunt that she, Paul, brother Cameron and friend Dawnalyn all went on which took them all over a neighboring town! (I had also planned one for Jon once, as well as one for her brother and still a different one for a friend of Ashley's lol.
I had been texting and calling Ashley off and on telling her about our adventure and that we couldn't find a clue or look where we ended up and who would have done this?! She was excited about it and said she wished someone would send her on a scavenger hunt. lol I reminded her that I had! She was a couple of weeks before giving birth to our little grandson and one of her dearest friends had flown out from Pennsylvania to visit her and Paul so I planned a really fun hunt that she, Paul, brother Cameron and friend Dawnalyn all went on which took them all over a neighboring town! (I had also planned one for Jon once, as well as one for her brother and still a different one for a friend of Ashley's lol.
The following morning feeling rested I received another text message there appeared at our door again another clue! WHAT?? :) I thought we had finished the game as the last clue indicated that it was time to take a rest?! But this clue sent us to a bookstore in a mall and to a Harry Potter book no less!! The sales clerk said she was out of that particular book but Jon searched and found it with another clue inside. WHAT WAS GOING ON? I had texted Kay before we left home as I was fearful we would not make it in time to our lunch date with she, Jami and Don. But alas the clue then took us to a darling cupcake shop - and once again our treats were pre paid for. I failed to mention that I tried to extract a description of this birthday fairy each place we went only to be told they had no idea. Now how could that me???? Also, Kay insisted she was not in on these shenanigans and we love Harry Potter, but Ashley REALLY loves Harry Potter and I thought to myself who in the world would even know this?
After receiving our cupcake treats we headed down town to meet up for lunch to celebrate both Kay and my July birthdays :) I was excitedly telling them all about our two day adventure when I received a text from Ash to read my Facebook page. On it was a post from Ashley covered with pink flamingos telling me that she and Jami had cooked up this adventure and Kay and Don had helped! WOW the planning, coordinating, creativity, implementation, and effort this must have takes was incredible!! Jon had as much fun as I did rushing off over hill and dell excitedly to each and every spot noted on a clue. :)
I still can't believe how they pulled this off and even someone texting me; who ended up being a friend of Jami's who lives clear up by Ash in order to throw us off (little did Ash and Jami know at the time I was trying to scroll down our ward directory to see if the phone number appeared, haha) and someone getting to our front door without us catching on???!!! Jami said the second day she simply drove their truck right up our street and parked as there were so many construction vehicles building other new homes in our neighborhood she thought we would never notice her. Jon was outside in the yard and she could see his head bopping around LOL and I don't recall hearing Missybelle bark, but then she must have been in the back with Jon. PS I kept thinking it must have been one of my new friends, including two in my neighborhood (these two are the only ones in the end that I figured who could drive into our area and to our home and not be caught because they wouldn't have to drive at all but simply sneak across a couple of yards and around a home or two to not be seen delivering the clues. HA! It WAS Jami all the time :)
WHAT A RIOT! WHAT A HOOT! WHAT A MEMORABLE, SPECIAL, TOUCHING, FUN FILLED BIRTHDAY EXPERIENCE!
All my friends at church today kept telling me how loved I am and what fun they had reading my posts on Facebook about this adventure. You know, I do feel very loved by family and friends in whom I also love and hold very dear! THANKS BIRTHDAY FAIRIES for one of the coolest surprises ever!! xoxo
PS In all of my excitement I neglected to take pics of each stop we made and somehow one of my clues became lost so I couldn't post it here. Also, Jami told me that at the fun center I was supposed to be given another clue but apparently the girl on duty didn't realize (the missing clue would ultimately lead us to Ashley's home where she would greet us in her flamingo shirt lol; we had planned to drive up for a visit but decided to reschedule. But hey we thought the fun center was a terrific place to end the adventure not knowing it was going to start up again the following day LOL
Giant pinwheels Ash, Paul, Jon, Cam and I made for Ashley's wedding for her refreshement tables and the bridesmaids to hold :) This should have tipped me off when we saw our yard (but alas I believed Ash that she wasn't in on these shenanigans! lol)
Ashley babe
Jami, Kay (Jami's mom) with me :)
TAG ... I'M IT! Be afraid. Be REALLY afraid hahaha :) xoxo
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