My mother is a very social person. She loves interacting with people of all descent and age. In November, last year, she turned 52. As a family, we wanted her to enjoy her birthday party. We all like seeing her happy always since she has been a very integral part of our lives. She has mentored us all and brought us up to be individuals of good character. We decided to surprise her on her birthday by making it a special party where she would really feel that we do appreciate her. This was the same month she had finished her PhD studies in philosophy and had passed. So it was a double celebration for her and her family, to revel in her success as well as her age. With limited financial resources, we wanted to make this party as big and as illuminating as possible.
Together with my dad and two sisters, we planned to book a nearby social hall where we would have room for a large number of guests. Our house is two bedrooms, and the living room is so small that we would have limited space for our guests. We were to keep all plans underway secret from my mother because we wanted her to be surprised. She loves such kinds of surprises, especially on her anniversaries. The venue was not hard to get since the mayor was our family fried and he readily allowed us to book the venue for the occasion.
We needed to organize to buy food and refreshments of all kinds for the guests. We had sent out invitation cards to over one hundred friends and relatives to come and join us on this occasion. I was in charge of organizing for food; my dad took charge of supplies while my elder sister, Anne was in charge of entertainment. My younger sister, Elaine was to ensure that the plans for the big day remained on course.
The week before her birthday, my mother travelled to Austria for a conference about philosophy. She was then the deputy head of department in the department of philosophy in the University of Marianna. Currently she is the head of the department after finishing her PhD. This gave us the ample time to arrange everything without her knowledge. She was to return on her birthday eve.
I had my list of foods and drinks to order. We managed to purchase drinks: lemonade, water, punch, soda, wine and beer. We thought these drinks would match the different tastes of different guests. We also hired the services of a local chef services firm that would help in ensuring that the meals were properly prepared on the big day. We purchased pea nut, cookies, candy, chips and sandwiches.
My dad organized for the supplies part of the preparation. He purchased plastic folks and spoons, paper cups and plates. These, we thought were cheap to handle since they are affordable and we would not need cleaning after the party. This would actually cut down on the work load. He also bought napkins. Furthermore, since the party would be held at a public social venue, he ensured that security would be assured by alerting the police of the upcoming event. He also hired five security guards to be present during the party to ensure order and keep off masqueraders.
Anne organized for an entertainment system that would fit well for the event. She hired the best entertainment firm in our local town and gathered the best collection of music. Since there would be old, middle age and young people, Anne looked for all kinds of music; rap, blues, R&B, the classics and soul. We wanted people to have fun.
On her return, we asked mother to prepare for the best day of her life. Keeping her in suspense till the last minute, she was amazed by our creativity. She was visibly overwhelmed by the love of her friends and family. The party was so lively, the guests felt quite well. The party was well organized. Right from the speeches, the fun part of dancing, interaction, eating, drinking and the presenting of presents to the birthday girl, the event was smooth and orderly. My mother had the best time of her life; I saw tears in her eyes as she gave her thanks giving speech. I knew she had really appreciated and enjoyed it all.
