My writer’s critique buddies, Marilyn (Chica) Zapata and
Dawn Storey, decided that for our monthly meeting, we should head for the Kemah
Boardwalk, along with their husbands, Art and Doug, for dinner and a spin on
The Beast. It’s a motorboat, with scary teeth painted on the bow, and speeds
through the bay carrying about 30 passengers. The operators guarantee that “YOU
WILL GET WET”. It sounded like fun. So I donned some old clothes that I didn’t
mind getting splashed with salt water, slathered up with sunscreen to protect
my skin from burn (I smelled like Banana Boat), and didn’t bother to comb my
hair because it was going to get wet anyway.
Chica and her husband, Art, picked me up at the appointed
time, but asked if we could stop at Claudio’s Restaurant and Piano Bar on the
way, to view some artwork by one of Chica’s friends. “Sure,” I replied. “I’d
love to see her work.”
When we arrived, however, there was no artwork on the walls,
just a room filled with about 50 of my closest friends. “Surprise!” they said.
“Does this mean I don’t get to ride on the Beast?” I asked in shock.
As most of you know, I love trying new activities, learning
new things, and meeting interesting people—quietly, and in the background. NOT
IN THE SPOTLIGHT! But I soon got over my embarrassment after hugging each and
every one of my friends and thanking them for such an honor.
My friend, Rene Armstrong, came up with the idea of throwing
a surprise party for me, and browsed my Cancer Journey Blog, making a list of everyone
who was mentioned in my posts. Rene is a high-energy, super-creative, and
brilliant sleuth, who managed to locate about 90 percent of my friends to
invite to my secret event.
The tables were set for my former La Marque friends and
neighbors, College of the Mainland colleagues, flying buddies, creative writing
acquaintances, and Marketing and Publishing associates.
It turned out to be a fantastic party, with Chica and Dawn
kicking off the festivities, draped in pink feather boas and dressed in wigs
that looked like my hair. They sang a customized, lively rendition of the song,
“Friendship!”
Fellow writer and musician, Andy Upchurch, provided dance music along with his band, Andy and the Dreamsicles.
Two of my dance instructors from the Fred Astaire Dance
Studio in Clear Lake, Craig Elsbury and Richard Blachford, dropped by to
deliver a bouquet of red roses.
Richard and I performed a Cha-Cha for the
crowd, who applauded their approval. It was my first performance ever!
And Craig decided it was high time I tried a dance lift. Tah-dah!!!
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| My Fiction-Writing Buddy, Larry Watts |
While the party attendees ate dinner, several of my friends
regaled the crowd with personal stories about me—many of them embarrassing, I
might add. The surprise party had somehow turned into a “roast”! But it was all
in good fun. You can see all the photos on my FaceBook page in the “Surprise
Party” album.
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| My flying buddies practice our favorite sport! |
It was a wonderful evening, and one that I will never forget—all
because of FRIENDSHIP.
Many, many thanks to all my wonderful friends who have made
my life such a joyful experience! Love to all!
