Flamingo Joe Adds Another Candle to the Cake

Today is Flamingo Joe's 46th Birthday. We are glad he graced the world with his presence lo those many many years ago because without him we would never be able to fix anything or randomly add electrical circuits to our house whenever it suited our fancy.


To honor the anniversary of his entry into the world, I planned a mini-surprise party. The party was mini. The surprise was mini. Casey is a big blabbermouth, so you can't let it slip to him that you're planning on buying Dad a present or throwing Dad a party cause Dad is no dummy and will get the info out of him. So planning a surprise party has to be almost last minute and Casey has to believe it's actually happening the next night. It's very complicated.


So on Saturday via Facebook and Sunday morning at church, I invited the guests, and Sunday afternoon Grandma and I (with some help from Dez) got everything ready while Joe was upstairs working on the trim in our bedroom. I'm sure Joe was fuming upstairs because he was doing all that work on the trim himself and I had not even come upstairs to make the customary token offer of assistance -- "Need some help? No? Okay. I'll be downstairs. Just holler. If I'm not here I've gone out for more Bon Bons."


The party was supposed to start at 6:00, but at 5:20 Joe came outside where we had set up the chairs and tables and Dez and I said, "Surprise! Happy Birthday!" So technically he was surprised. At about 5:45 he looked around at the empty chairs and said, "Are we expecting people?" Of course we were! See --





They are having a wonderful time. They are melting, but still -- a wonderful time. (Note to self for next year: do not plan Flamingo Joe's party to take place outdoors in Florida on August 2nd -- unless you install a misting system first.) We had just finished playing "Pin the Tail on the Toddler" -- Dez won, obviously.


And then it was time for gifts. Flamingo Joe got a couple of very useful gifts, the most thoughtful of which was this toilet complete with magazine rack and orange caution flags:





I think you'll agree with me when I say he's as handsome as the day I married him nearly thirteen short years ago. Don't let it trouble you if you weren't in attendance at the ceremony; it was small, we couldn't invite everyone -- and quite frankly I don't think I even knew you then. Just trust me that he's always been a handsome devil:





Is that not the sexiest crease you've ever seen in his forehead? Well, not just in his forehead, but in anyone's forehead ever? He never noticed that was there until Heidi took a picture of him and pointed it out to him. Now he's super self conscious about it so make sure to mention it the next time you see him.


Happy Birthday Flamingo Joe!