My Mom’s 50th birthday is on August 4th, which is right around the corner. This upcoming week the Engle’s will be spread all over the map. My Dad will be in California, Shannon will be at Pine Cove, Lauren will be in ATX for an interview, I will be at Fish Camp (WHOOP!), and Jason will still be in North Carolina. We decided to celebrate Mom’s big birthday milestone a couple days early and deck out the house with ‘Fabulous Fifties’ decorations! Dad, Lauren, and I spent the entire day planning and shopping for the evening. Whenever we actually came up with a “good” idea, we constantly bickered about who could take credit for the creativity. The day was filled with plenty of jokes and laughter. Once we arrived home, we decorated the entire house in record time. There were streamers, signs, and plenty of 50’s spirit everywhere! We kicked off the night with cocktails and the envelope game. My Mom always hates the envelope game, and this year was icing on the cake. Typically, we put one big gift idea in each of the three envelopes and she can only pick one envelope without knowledge of the gifts inside. She hasn’t had the best luck at this game in years past… this year was no exception. Needless to say, it ended in tears and we have officially retired the envelope game for good. As for the rest of the evening, we planned out a surprise progressive dinner to celebrate her birthday. A progressive dinner is where you start at your favorite appetizer restaurant, followed by the best entrée location, and end at the last spot for some sweet dessert. We started the night at T.G.I. Fridays for green bean fries, potato skins, and drinks. Then, we rushed over to the Cheesecake Factory for our entrée- Jambalaya Pasta and Santa Fe Salad. Our original plan was to hit up Dairy Queen for dessert, because it is her all time favorite. If we were really smart planners, we would’ve known that it was National Cheesecake Day and ALL the cheesecake was half price. But we’re not that smooth. We ended up staying at the Cheesecake Factory for dessert, because we couldn’t pass up that bargain! We all sang happy birthday to her and returned home to open presents. This night did not end up how we expected at all, but everything we planned was with good intentions. I can’t believe she has been alive for half a century. She is still one hot, super fun, and active Mama!! I know the best years of her life are still to come. Even though we love to pick on her some days, she is truly the best mother anyone could ask for. I have never met a more selfless woman in my entire life! Some people say that Fifty Ain’t So Fabulous, but I know she’ll prove ‘em wrong.
Happy 50th Birthday, Mom!!!
