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.
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.
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.
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!
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. 
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."
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.
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. 
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).
