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...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 18

Once again, Alvin is away, so the next few days he is getting things that I am taking pictures of to send to him! Today's gift was this nifty light that plugs into the USB port on your laptop. This way, when Alvin is working into the wee hours of the night, he can do so in bed without disturbing me.

Here's what it looks like...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 17

What could be better than breakfast in bed? How about breakfast at the table...? I was planning to make a yummy English style breakfast (complete with back bacon) and serve it to Alvin in bed. But, after letting him get some much needed sleep, he jumped up, got dressed and came downstairs. It seemed weird to make him go back upstairs, so he enjoyed his meal with the family.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 16

Today's surprise is a night out on the town with me! Alvin will get to choose what he wants to do. His choices are: 1. a movie; 2. bowling; 3. a fondue dinner. #3 sounds great to me, but we never do #1 or #2, so either of those would be a nice change.

Okay, so our evening plans were thrwarted by Oliver's illness. He is doing much better, but we couldn't see leaving him with a babysitter when he was not well.

Here's the little guy having a snooze with Daddy.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 15

Alvin was treated to a nice dinner tonight by our friends Rhonda and Barry. We've had some beautiful weather and the Dalys were nice enough to cook up some delicious burgers for us. We had a few cocktails out on their porch and enjoyed the evening. Only downside is that Oliver seems to have come down with the flu...I had to go home early to take care of him.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 14

Alvin might be famous! His surprise of the day is a weekend gallery show of his photography at Jamie's store/gallery ParkLife. What this really means is that I have to let him out of the house a lot so that he can try to get some new material for his big "exhibition."

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 13

Alvin is officially a member at another Chapel Hill hot spot. Okay, it's not really a hot spot, but you do need a membership at North Carolina bars (anywhere that does not serve food). His gift today was a membership at the Local 506.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 12

Today, Alvin received a certificate good for a shave. He will be going to a local "old-school" barber shop in Carrboro this weekend for a shave and a hair cut. Yes, he has a few left that can use a trim.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 11

Alvin is traveling this week (what a surprise...), so it was a lot harder to come up with things to give him while he was away. Today he received a certificate from Ava and Oliver good for a hand car wash (I'll probably have to help, as well!). I wish I'd had a chance to scribble "wash me" in his back window and get a picture, but the car is parked at the airport!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 10

Tonight Alvin received "a toast." Are you sensing a theme here...?

We had a great time at the farm tour and came home and BBQ'd with Dave and Tzaddi (it was the perfect weather for it). We opened up a nice Italian "bubbly" I bought for Alvin and had a toast to his birthday.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 9

Today's surprise was dinner at one of the best local restaurants -- Magnolia Grill. Alvin was a bit irritated that I didn't tell him where we were going -- there are very few opportunities for us to dress up and even though I told him to look "smart," he would have liked to have worn a fancier shirt. Yes, high maintenance! We had a great time.

Here's a shot of Alvin looking sour about his shirt choice...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 8

Well, I managed to pull off the best surprise to date. This morning's card said that Alvin would receive a "treat from faraway lands" after dinner. What this actually meant is that I had to rush off to the airport to pick up our friends Dave & Tzaddi who flew in from San Francisco. I assumed that Alvin figured his "treat" was some kind of dessert. So, after the kids had their dinner, I sent them and Alvin outside. I finished tidying the house and then announced that I would be going out for his treat. An hour later I returned with guests -- although I did drop them off in the driveway so they could ring the doorbell. Let's just say that Alvin was extremely surprised when he opened the door!

Here's the proof...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 7

Alvin's gift of the day was a certificate good for one lawn mowing service -- not by me, but by a local kid who does lawns. At first he thought I was planning to hire someone for the entire summer, but if you've seen our lawn, you'd know that could get expensive. So, for now, he gets a week off from lawn duty!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 6

Today's surprise was a hint at what we are up to this weekend -- the Farm Tour. Check back for photos, but we will be visiting some local farms and hope to get up close to some baby animals, buy some fresh produce and maybe have a nice lunch.

Fun times at the farm tour (Oliver's dream car is in the background)...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 5

A relaxing evening was in store for Alvin tonight! At least that's what was promised. Upon his return from work, he was greeted with a bubble bath, candles, magazines and a manhattan. I think he enjoyed it! I even locked the door to the bedroom so the kids couldn't disturb his "peace."

Make sure those bubbles are strategically placed!

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 4

Well, today's surprise did not turn out exactly as planned -- but probably for the better. Alvin received a basket of "British" food items this morning. I had a dinner out with friends and I planned to make him "beans on toast" -- yes, more toast! Trust me that this was a treat for him. As it turns out, bad weather kept Paul and Mandy here an extra day, so they ended up all going out to dinner with the kids while I kept the plans I had. Guess, the Heinz beans will be eaten another time...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 3

Alvin's gift today came from our friends (and current house guests) Paul and Mandy. They brought him a very cool pen. We also went out last night for dinner followed by cocktails at a new Carrboro hot spot.

Alvin, Paul and Mandy on our couch.

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 2

Today's surprise was a picnic and a walk along the Occoneechee Speedway Trail. This is a trail that now surrounds what was one of the first NASCAR tracks in the country (built in 1949 and in use until the '60s). We did a bit of walking and then stopped on the old bleachers for a picnic lunch. We were with Paul and Mandy, our Scottish friends visiting from England.

Here's a picture of the family...

40 Days of Surprises . . . Day 1

As you may know (probably how you got here), Alvin had his "name on toast." I thought it was a great way to send people to this site who may want to catch up on the birthday festivities. This is the first of 40 days of birthday surprises. Don't forget to wish him a happy birthday (although you may want to wait until his actual birthday -- May 22nd).

Here is a shot of Alvin's first glimpse of his toast!