Over the weekend, Jerry, Gardner, and I attended a surprise party for Jerry's best friend, Marcus.  The most difficult part of a surprise party is keeping it a surprise.  I'm usually terrible at keeping surprise parties a surprise.  I always manage to forget that the person doesn't know about the party.  Lucky for me, we don't see Marcus that much, so there was less opportunity to spoil the surprise.  It was worth it!

The location was at beautiful home in Apex with a pool.  The event was organized solely by group text.  Everyone was told it was BYOB and we all brought an appetizer or dessert to share.  There were popcorn balls (popcorn with melted marshmallows, like a rice crispy treat), "sand" (crushed Nilla wafers and Oreos with pudding), cupcakes, sausage dip, cheese platter, and BBQ and brisket, with mac and cheese, and green bean casserole.  What a feast!

The group text proved to be very effective.  I talked last week about using electronic invitations, and the effectiveness and appropriateness of using that type of invitation.  For this group of 20 and 30 somethings we didn't even need something that formal.  The group text communicated all the important information including the location, what to bring, what time our guest of honor was arriving, where to park, and what the festivities would include.  Simple and secretive!  

The event was fantastic!  It was a party that was appropriate for Marcus.  There was swimming with his friends, food, music, and an after party in downtown Fuquay-Varina.  He was of course surprised by everyone in attendance and I think we really made the night special for him.  It truly was a great surprise and I'm glad that we could all be a part of it.  Cheers to 35 Marcus!  We're so glad that we could celebrate with you, and thanks to those that organized to make it happen!

Have you been a part of a surprise party?  How difficult was it to keep it a secret?