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I'm sure Maxine suspected something. Her husband Ron had been acting strangely for the past couple of weeks: making more jokes than usual about the ring he'd promised for their 10th anniversary, having a few too many phone conversations on the front porch out of earshot, working late on days he didn't normally.
Despite her suspicions, she still acted shocked when we surprised her in the hotel room he'd rented, surrounding a candlelit table crammed with wine and a huge meal cooked by my husband.
Ron called us several weeks ago asking for help to present the special ring he'd bought for Maxine. He wanted to re-create their 1st anniversary dinner they had 9 years ago at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. My husband (who is a chef) agreed to cook a scrumptious meal of steak, lobster, asparagus, and fingerling potatoes with bacon, sour cream and shredded cheddar. Ron wanted to eat in a private place, away from the hectic household and their 3 children, so he rented a hotel room.
The logistics of this plan were quite intricate. My husband and Ron met at the hotel the night before to view the room, getting an idea of the layout and travel time. We went over the next day to check in for them and start setting up. Luckily there was a microwave to do a last minute zap to the food so it would be nice and hot. We decorated the room with scented candles and little "Happy Anniversary" signs. Ron bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for the table. 
We set up a dessert and coffee station with little heart chocolates and gummy strawberries. I even went to the thrift store the day before to buy vibrant linen napkins to match the decor (betcha didn't know that, did you Max?)!
Ron had his own set of challenges: how to pack an overnight bag for his wife without her knowing, how to sneak a boom box in the car to play the CD he created of her favorite music, and how to keep his son quiet about the whole deal.
My daughter, on the other hand, was just bursting with the clandestine activity of the whole operation - just like a genuine spy-kid. We brought the walkie-talkies with us so that I could wait in the hotel lobby and buzz them when Ron and Maxine arrived. The code phrase was "the eagle has landed, the eagle had landed!" My husband would know he had exactly 5 minutes to heat up the food and they would both be ready in the room to "show" Ron and Max to their table. (While I was waiting, which was awhile because they were late, she kept calling "check, check" and "roger that" to me - the front desk agent was cracking up.)
It was a pretty fun surprise when all was said and done. We had some laughs recounting the events of the past few weeks. My husband was anxious about the food being just perfect, so we skedaddled out of there soon after they arrived. They loved the food and she loved the ring. I told my husband that it felt like a family catering and maybe we should start a business on the side! He's not too sure about that but we were happy to be involved!
We had the most delightful Thanksgiving day yesterday! When I woke up, the coffee was already made. I slowly poured myself a cup, savoring every moment of this special day. My husband and daughter were playing Lego Star Wars, so I got out my beads and strung a new necklace. I checked on my blogger friends then we went for a walk.
It was a fabulous morning - the sun was shining, it was 69 degrees with a soft breeze. 
Fall leaves were floating down from the sky and spinning lazily in the street. We finally have bright beautiful leaves - golden yellows and rich reds. It was so wonderful and I got some great photos - I'll be loading them onto Sunniviews this week, the series will be called Fall Finale.
After getting ready, we drove over to my aunts house in Chapel Hill for our family get-together. It was wonderful to see everyone! The table was beautifully set for our Thanksgiving feast and the food was scrumptious. 
We had an expert turkey maker and an expert turkey carver along with all the yummy accompanying dishes: buttery mashed potatoes and rich gravy, stuffing, green bean and lima casserole, sweet potatoes, corn, a special family recipe of mac and cheese, homemade cranberry sauce and fresh rolls. Oh my, it was so good. Oh, it was so, so good. We were stuffed.
Afterwards we played cards (UNO and Euchre), told jokes and stories, laughter filled the air. 
We settled our bellies with strong, rich coffee and nibbled on dessert: pumpkin pie and apple crisp with french vanilla ice cream.
Then it was time to say goodbye and make quick plans for Christmas. As we drove home, my daughter sleeping soundly in my lap, the radio playing soft and sentimental music, my husband and mother-in-law talking quietly in the front - I watched the drying fall leaves scuttle in spirals across the highway through the dark. My heart became wide open, expanding beyond my body, beyond my soul, so that I had the most incredible feeling of love and gratitude. I closed my eyes and envisioned myself circling my arms around the whole world in a great loving embrace. And on this Thanksgiving, I was truly thankful.
From the Toymaker's November Newsletter:
Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.
-Alan Cohen
And so it is.
In Raleigh, we have a wonderful "art" exhibit called CANstruction. Design firms from all over the country build amazing structures all from canned food! The exhibit runs for a few months and when the structures are de-constructed, the cans are donated to a local Food Bank.
This is such a fun project that is held in over 100 cities all across the country. Since it's inception in 1992, Canstruction projects have donated over 10 million pounds of food. In our city, Canstrucion has been running since 1999 and has donated over 250,000 pounds of food to our local Food Bank!
This weekend, we headed to the Marbles, our new kids museum, to check out the Canstruction exhibit. The theme was Toys and Games. What fun! They had the most creative structures! My favorite was the Light Brite - it was lit from the inside and they used Gatorade bottles as the colorful pegs. They had a Battleship, a Hungry Hippo, a Mr. Potato Head and a Monopoly board, among others. They also had a table for kids to build their own.
It really was amazing to me how some of these things were constructed - especially Mr. Potato Head. It just didn't seem like it would be able to stand on it's own. But, I must say, I'm pretty proud that Raleigh is participating in such a neat and meaningful project!
You can see more photos here at the Food Bank Website - plus a time-lapsed video of the building of Mr. Potato Head!
I'm sure Maxine suspected something. Her husband Ron had been acting strangely for the past couple of weeks: making more jokes than usual about the ring he'd promised for their 10th anniversary, having a few too many phone conversations on the front porch out of earshot, working late on days he didn't normally.
The logistics of this plan were quite intricate. My husband and Ron met at the hotel the night before to view the room, getting an idea of the layout and travel time. We went over the next day to check in for them and start setting up. Luckily there was a microwave to do a last minute zap to the food so it would be nice and hot. We decorated the room with scented candles and little "Happy Anniversary" signs. Ron bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for the table. 
We set up a dessert and coffee station with little heart chocolates and gummy strawberries. I even went to the thrift store the day before to buy vibrant linen napkins to match the decor (betcha didn't know that, did you Max?)!
My daughter, on the other hand, was just bursting with the clandestine activity of the whole operation - just like a genuine spy-kid. We brought the walkie-talkies with us so that I could wait in the hotel lobby and buzz them when Ron and Maxine arrived. The code phrase was "the eagle has landed, the eagle had landed!" My husband would know he had exactly 5 minutes to heat up the food and they would both be ready in the room to "show" Ron and Max to their table. (While I was waiting, which was awhile because they were late, she kept calling "check, check" and "roger that" to me - the front desk agent was cracking up.)
It was a pretty fun surprise when all was said and done. We had some laughs recounting the events of the past few weeks. My husband was anxious about the food being just perfect, so we skedaddled out of there soon after they arrived. They loved the food and she loved the ring. I told my husband that it felt like a family catering and maybe we should start a business on the side! He's not too sure about that but we were happy to be involved!
