60th birthday surprise party!

on january 30th we threw my parents a huge surprise party for their 60th birthday! my mom's birthday was in november and dad's is this month so we knew having it january would totally catch them off guard. kg's parents helped us out early in the planning stages by securing them for dinner that night, just so we could be sure they'd make it to their own party. then we decided to have the party at my sister's church so she invited them to "come listen to her kids sing at their ward party". they brought kg's parents with them. it worked liked a charm. when they walked in the gym expecting to hear singing children, they got a big group of their friends yelling surprise instead. it was perfect! they were genuinely surprised. so much so that days later my dad called my sister saying he still couldn't believe we pulled it off. and commenting on how much they loved it. that makes me smile. success.
here's how it all went down.
sandee and i planned. we started talking about this back in october i think. but the real planning started the second saturday in january. we had to hussle. we got lists together. we invited friends old and new as well as lots of family. she sent out all the invites. then the rsvp's started coming in and the excitement grew. i talked to my friends joyce and kris for food ideas.
we decided on a menu of pulled pork on rolls, roasted red potatoes, green salads, cake and ice cream for dessert. sandee was in charge of the rolls, potatoes and yummy punch. i took charge of the desserts and salads. my friend joyce doughty so graciously contributed the meat, as well as some very kind words that make me cry. i was so touched by her kindness. :) i couldn't believe her generosity.
i slaved away in the kitchen two days prior making, from scratch, my mom's favorite cake of german chocolate, and dad's favorite cake of red velvet, as well as vanilla cupcakes just to be sure we had enough dessert. we also served vanilla ice cream and provided toppings for sundaes.
the day finally arrived. ryan, amanda, and kristen came to the church to help us set up and get ready which was a HUGE relief! we were thinking it would be no big deal and we didn't need much help. wow. i'm really glad they showed up. they did a ton of work! we really would not have gotten it done without them. plus they had great ideas.

my dad's red velvet cake.

mom's german chocolate cake.

vanilla cupcakes.

i had never made any of those cakes before i thought they turned our pretty darned good!

this salad had strawberry's, beautifully cut by kristen, and feta cheese
with a blush wine dressing.

this salad had craisins, pistachios, feta and vinaigrette dressing.

the amazing pulled pork by joyce!

this salad had cashews, apples, and gorgonzola with a homemade dressing that i made. it had lemon juice and red wind vinegar among other things.

it was so good!

this became a delicious raspberry punch that sandee made.

sandee spent so much time gathering photos of my parents and putting these posters together.

they turned out awesome!

mom through the years.

the entire stage was lined with photos and candy.

candy you ate as a kid...i found this on the internet. a box full of candy from the 50's.
i also bought the 1950's remember when book.
it was so fun to see it all. kristen displayed it beautifully!
see those wax lip on the top of the box? an awesome photo is coming below!

together as a couple through the years.

the guests had so much fun looking at them and seeing my parents through the years!

dad through the years.

we decorated in black and white. sandee did most of the running around for decorations which i was grateful for because i don't like that kind of running around. :)
i brought all my vintage turquoise dishes which was a nice compliment of color with the black and white.

dad's favorite candy of peanut m&m's sat on each table in my cute little cups.

amanda took charge of the balloons. she's somewhat of an expert having worked at zurcher's after all. :) she made them look great.

the guests started to arrive!

this a great group from my parents ward. i believe the four couples on the right are in a family home evening group with my parents. they were so fun at the party!
they showed up first and left last and danced the night away!

glen and jaqueline johnson

dick and lorene oldroyd

stan and diane moss

shortly after my parents arrived we sang happy birthday and they each blew out their candle.

john and jing-mei madison

bruce and lori dunkley

millward's

jayne and rick hopkins.

gay and mike madison.

mary and kip hertz

cheryl, bobette and peggy who drove in from idaho falls

kris and grandma who flew in from salt lake

carolyn and herb montierth

debbie and layne bennion

anita and robert zufelt.

ken and laura jensen

drew and krissy murray

mom and dad :)

let the dancing begin!
we played 50's music from my iphone's pandora radio over the speakers.
it worked great!

see the shoes i'm wearing? HUGE mistake! i didn't take into consideration that i'd be on my feet for 9 hours that day in those shoes. i was in big trouble the next day. :(

let's dim the lights and really set the mood. :)

grandma with her four kids...
mike, kris, grandma, carolyn and doug

wax lip kiss

mom decided to break out the wax lips. this photos makes me wet my pants! i love what her glasses do to her head(making it smaller in the lenses) and eyes. so stinkin funny!

dad loved dancing with his grandkids.

my favorite photo of the night :)

can i just tell you how grateful i was that kristen came? she was such a great help. plus she's part of our family! i love her like a sister. we met when we were six so most of my childhood memories include her! she definitely made the night more fun for me.
kristen, sandee and amanda

russel and his girlfriend.

roger, lauren, victoria and alyse.

jay and callie.

as the party died down kg went and got the kids from sandee's house and ryan got lorelai from amanda's parents.
they enjoyed dancing and seeing grandma and grandpa.

amanda, ryan and lorelai.

it was seriously a fun night. and i find it fitting that we had 60-some guests for their 60th birthday party. thank you so very much to all those that helped with getting me cake recipes, ideas, food, decorating, taking down and so on. love you all!
happy birthday mom and dad! we all love you very much.