Mom's 50th Birthday

Last month, in August, we celebrated my mom's 50th birthday. We had a "surprise" Hawaiian-themed party, complete with our own roasted pig. We could have been able to keep it a secret right up until the party, but on the way to lunch, my parents were rear-ended in their pick-up at a stop light by a lady going about 30 mph. She claimed she was looking down at a cereal cup (whatever, she was probably texting...one of the biggest wastes of time ever, not to mention dangerous). The accident did a number on my mom's back...so suffice it to say she had a little bit of a Rocky Mountain high during the party.

So, we had some good food: a roasted pig my dad and brother cooked in a pit in the backyard for 24 hours, rice, cinnamon-n-sugar bananas, fruit, vegetables, cake, pina-colada homemade ice cream, slushy punch, etc. OK, it was way better than authentic Hawaiian food, which I think is horrible.

About the pig: It was wrapped in tin foil and burlap sacks and brought out of the pit in a steel cage. I think it weighed about 150 lbs. It was set on a table and then covered with a towel to keep the flys. We decorated with tiki torches and by night the scene looked like we'd made some human sacrifice...if only, I could definitely think of some candidates....

It took my brother, dad, and uncle to carry the pig, the night before, from the kitchen to the backyard. I guess it was so greasy it slipped right out of their arms and onto my mom's carpet. My mom was shampooing the carpet as my mom got home from work...you know, nothing out the ordinary.

We had a good turnout with family and friends from church and my mom's work. And my dad gave me explicit instructions we're not to throw any more surprise birthday parties. Yea, my parents will have to wait until their 75 for another one.