40 Days of Surprise . . . Day 35

The gift for today was Alvin's "real" birthday gift. He received airline tickets to Indianapolis to go to the American Grand Prix. Part of the treat is that our neighbors Max and Barry both went along.

Here is a photo of the "wild times"...

40 Days of Surprise . . . Day 34

Today Alvin was informed that he had a DJ gig coming up (needed to give him a bit of notice!). I wouldn't give him many details (yet), but told him to work on his set...

40 Days of Surprise . . . Day 33

Today's treat was a home cooked meal -- one of Alvin's favorites. We had steak frites (steak and french fries for you non-french speakers!). They were even home made french fries as well.

40 Days of Surprise . . . Day 32

40 Days of Surprise . . . Day 31

There was a bit of a quandary today since in addition to being a "surprise" day for Alvin, it is also Mother's Day. Alvin's gift was to have the morning alone so that he could watch the Grand Prix in peace. He, in turn, gave me the morning in bed (he brought me coffee, gifts, flowers, etc.). Turns out we could do both! After he cooked breakfast, I took the kids out while he lounged on the couch. A good day for all!

40 Days of Surprise . . . Day 30

Today's surprise was tickets to a Durham Bulls game. We were technically supposed to go today, however, a major thunderstorm came through and we would have been soaked if we were out there. Once again, we'll be doing this activity in the near future!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 29

The surprise of the day has not actually shown up yet -- I guess that's what happens when you order things from England. What we're waiting on is a DVD of the FA Cup Final that Southampton won way back in 1976. When it arrives, we will have to convert it to US standard so that he can actually watch it!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 28

Today's surprise was a new "footie" shirt. Alvin was supposed to be getting new "footie" shoes, but as often happens in this house, he went out and bought them on his own! He plays soccer at lunch (when he's in town) and his athletic apparel has been a little bit lacking.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 27

Alvin's surprise today was a gift card to Barnes & Noble from my Mom. Given the number of books and magazines he buys, I know this will come in handy!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 26

Alvin was off for another work trip today (this time to Las Vegas -- I'm so jealous!). His gift today was a very nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc -- which we will enjoy some evening after the kids have gone to bed!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 25

Today's surprise was a gift from our neighbor, Steve. He is going to take Alvin out on a nighttime flight on his cool plane. They will arrange this for the near future when Alvin's travel schedule lightens up a bit.

Here is a pic of Steve and Alvin up in the air...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 24

Well, we had another "no-go" surprise today. We were supposed to go to Carowinds, an amusement park just outside Charlotte. We've all been sick and Alvin woke up feeling badly again -- lets just say that roaming around an amusement park was not going to be a fun day for him! We'll just do it another time.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 23

*** Sorry for the lag again, just so busy around here...***

Today's surprise was a visit to Discovery Place in Charlotte and a few hours of alone time for Alvin to check out some local record shops. Yes, he bought some records. Discovery Place was also a lot of fun. All 3 kids (I mean 2 kids + Alvin) had a great time!

I hope that bear isn't hungry!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 22

The surprise-du-jour was a weekend getaway to Charlotte (just a 2 hour drive away). Alvin has never been before and I'd only been once. Thought it would be fun to have a bit of an excursion with the kids!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 21

Alvin's gift today was some framed original art -- the artists were the world-renowned duo "Ava & Oliver Richards." They each did a small drawing which I put into a frame for Daddy. Picture will come later.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 20

Since he was away, I had to just give a hint of today's surprise -- "A Wide Selection." What he actually got was a selection of Belgian and German beers that I bought at the Good Beer Store in Chapel Hill.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 19

Sorry about the lag in posting -- we've all been under weather, but much better now.

Alvin's surprise on Tuesday was a really good one. I bought (on eBay), the official program from the Southampton/Man United FA Cup Final in 1976. He got it on the 31st anniversary of the game. For those who don't know, this was the only time Southampton ever won the FA Cup.

Here's a picture...