Turning 40 with The Fruit Bowl

Today is the day. It’s been staring me down and taunting me for many months and now it has finally arrived.

The Big 4-0.

I’m not sure what I thought I would be doing at 40 but I’m sure the words “computer teacher” never entered my mind. I don’t know if I thought I’d have the greatest husband, sweetest daughter or most awesome friends in the universe either. But I do.

Speaking of my friends, they got me. I didn’t think it could be done but they completely took me by surprise over the weekend. Let me set the stage:

For the past 5 years we’ve gone all out to celebrate somebody’s birthday. As a matter of fact, I kicked off the tradition when I decided to throw myself a party back in 2005. The idea caught on and we’ve reserved a weekend in January ever since to get away together.

There are very strict guidelines that must be followed. First of all, the party always begins on Friday night and goes into Saturday. We’ve also made it a practice to have matching t-shirts for the occasion. They are designed with the birthday girl in mind and worn by all of us on the first evening. There is also a tribute song, which I always compose, complete with choreography and our signature boas. There is also usually a restaurant, a board game and super special event on Saturday to look forward to. We’ve done everything from mani/pedis and shopping trips to seeing shows like “Hairspray” and “Dancing With The Stars Live”. And, with the exception of last year when we had space issues, there must always be a pyramid picture.

Last year was the first time we actually pulled off a surprise party but, as it turns out, it wouldn’t be the last.

I thought I was in for a nice night out with my husband. He told me he was taking me to dinner and even arranged childcare for the evening. He told me to be ready by 6:00 pm and I was. He, however, was in the bedroom “ironing” when I found my peep Nicole at my front door. She told me to grab my purse because the girls were taking me out instead! I was a little thrown but excited and jumped in the car. In typical GNO fashion we headed to Big Nanny’s house to pick her up. We honked and waited for a while and she never came so Nicole casually said “go ring the door bell and tell her to hurry up!” so without a second thought I ran up to the door where I was greeted by Big Nanny......who was wearing her duck shirt.

Instant Red Flag.

Now, you may or may not be in on the joke that we refer to as “The Duck Shirt”. Whether you are or not, just know this; It’s funny. And it glows in the dark. Because of it’s entertainment value, it’s been a Fruit Bowl tradition for many years. She always wears it for special occasions so I knew it’s mere presence meant something big was on the horizon. And I was right.

I was escorted upstairs where I found all my peeps dressed in the different t-shirts we’ve commissioned through the years (or shirts we've found funny over the years like the aforementioned duck shirt)...... and their boas! Then I spotted the cue cards and I knew what was coming. A SONG!! THEY WROTE A SONG FOR ME!!!! At the end of the song they all took off their shirts of year's past to reveal my birthday shirt underneath:


Here's a closer look at my most awesome shirt:


I should quickly point out that it was Big Nanny who composed most of the song. She did an excellent job turning Barry Manilow’s “I Write The Songs” into a spot-on, moving and hilarious tribute to Yours Truly. (You’ve got skillz BN. You really do.)

I must also give props to the girls for their performance. It was.....what’s the word I’m looking for?......ummmm......Stylistic. Yes. That’s it.

After the song they surprised me by saying “Now go home and pack your bag. We’re taking you for the night!” We were soon off to a hotel where they had booked a suite with an adjoining room. Then we headed out to dinner at Buca Di Beppo where we feasted on 2 kinds of salad, spaghetti & meatballs, baked ravioli, manicotti and chicken parmesean. It was a rowdy and laughter-filled meal thanks to Shelly’s observations about being trapped on the “vegan” side of the table and an unfortunately placed picture of the male anatomy right in our line of site.


After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to play “Last Words” and eat Trisha’s famous brownies. If you know me at all you now the brownies would have been enough but they also gave me a big bag of gifts which included candy, a karaoke CD, an “Office” calendar, a few books, slippers, a beautiful bathrobe and this:


Isn’t that the greatest and most hysterical thing you’ve ever seen? Robyn’s sweet sister Rhonda (an amazing artist and floral designer) painted it for the occasion. I’m thinking it’s going over the fireplace.

As is our custom, we stayed up way too late talking about next to nothing and when it was time for bed I found myself sharing the king-sized bed with Big Nanny and Tracey. It went better than any of us expected. We fared much better than Ashley, who got up in the wee hours of the morning and slammed into the closet door in the hallway. We snickered at her from our room because that's what friends do.

After breakfast the next morning we sat around listening to Shelly tell stories about working at Whitt’s BBQ (the pickle jar turned her fingers green. That didn’t really go with her engagement ring so she quit) and her college roommate Laura Lee (she always ate fried chicken in the bed). She also gave Big Nanny some advice about her youngest daughter (“if she ever calls you and says she’s not at Mardi Gras....she’s lying.”)

After check-out it was time for our special Saturday event. It was supposed to be a movie but there was nothing we all wanted to see so we opted for this instead.


Laser Tag!!! There is nothing…..I repeat NOTHING….funnier that 8 women running, squealing, hiding behind barricades and shooting each other in the back with lasers. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long, long time. We vowed to do it again and next time maybe include our husbands. Of course, we'll totally gang up on them.

When I got home I rattled off every detail to Handiman who then stated the obvious:

“You have really great friends”

No kidding. I’ve seen the way they love each other. I know how much they’re willing to sacrifice, defend and hold each other accountable. And I know just how much they’re willing to embarrass themselves for a laugh.

Girls, you know I love you. And I know you love me. I never dreamed 40 would be this much fun. And let's be honest. Without you, it probably wouldn't be.