A Birthday Surprise for Forest

I take tremendous pleasure in surprising Forest on his birthdays. While we were dating, I told him I had to attend a rehearsal the evening of his birthday, and that I probably would not be able to see him. The rehearsal was in fact a different evening, and I waited at the doorstep of his apartment with a cake in hand to surprise him when he got home from the lab. I didn't allow him to make himself a tuna sandwich for dinner that night, despite his original plans.

While we were engaged, there was a national conference for the American String Teachers Association in Detroit, scheduled for the week of his birthday. I planned to attend with some other students in my department at school, but arranged for a group of us to leave the day after Forest's birthday (without telling him). I managed to convince him that my ride was departing for the conference on his actual birthday, and even had him drop me off at the music building with my suitcase (which was mostly empty).
Forest's father came into town that night to take him out for some pizza--but swung by my apartment first to pick me up, dropped me off at Papa Del's, then went to get Forest. I was delighted to see his jaw drop upon sight of me as he walked into the restaurant.
This year I successfully staged another surprise for Forest at Papa Del's. I had him believe there was a baby shower for me in Bloomington that day which would hinder any celebratory dinner plans. We planned to just get together for lunch beforehand, and I picked him up after his lab group meeting to take him out for Papa Del's.
Waiting at a table for us were two of Forest's closest friends: Scott and Gavin. We don't get to see them too often, as Scott lives in Chicago and Gavin in Minneapolis. But both of them were willing to come down for the purpose of surprising Forest and eating some Papa Del's pizza--which Scott attests is better than any he has tried in Chicago.
I was pleased to watch Forest's face break into a smile as he sat to join them, and he proceeded converse with his old buddies in a characteristic banter filled with dry humor and Seinfeld references.

Our order encountered a couple of mistakes in the kitchen, which awarded us with an entire extra pizza. We ended up going back to our apartment with one large super stuffed pizza and two additional slices in excess.

That afternoon the guys enjoyed some Guitar Hero and Mario Kart on the Wii . . .

. . . and since I had no baby shower to go to that day, I finished frosting a birthday cake for my Forest.

Not the most elegant, but it got its point across.

Later, another one of Forest's long-time friends, Meg, came over bearing gifts: a six-pack of bottled Strawberry Crush. She obviously knows how to party.

Happy Birthday, Forest . . . and once again, SURPRISE!