Jayne and I went out to dinner with three other couples that we have known for 20 years. When we got home our street we full of cars. "Well, there's another damn party we weren't invited to," I retorted, my standard line when I ever see an assembly of people. (it is one of my pseudo-clever but always annoying quips,) We pulled up andI asked the other couple who had driven us if they would like to come in and finish the bottle of red wine we had started earlier. As we got out I noticed candles lit in our house and I thought my daughter and son-in-law were home. As we walked in, 45 people yelled "Surprise" Somehow it had never occurred that it was so close to our anniversery.

We have been married 35 years. Our three children planned the whole thing and our friends were in on it also, getting us away from the house for enough time to get the food and decorations in. My daughters had sent a bunch of photos of the last 35 yrs to a friend who put them on a video complete with background music and fantastic editing, and it played all evening on TV for the folks who wanted to see how many variations of facial hair I have had since the 60s

They had hired a pianist from Atlanta who played wonderful show tunes and standards, many of the crowd were theater people or musicians and there was a steady stream of performers singing a song ot two. What a wonderful and complete surprise from our three kids.