Stephen J. Trudelle turned 30 this past August. I had been giving him a hard time about it (ever since he turned 29) but little did he know that a surprise "Nerdy 30" was in the works. I was nervous that he would find out, and had a difficult time getting him to commit to plans that Friday night. We ended up walking to the
Phinney Farmer's Market while some friends and family showed up in their best nerd attire and set up decorations. We returned from the market, opened the gate, and were blown away by noisemakers, poppers and our friends, dressed in some pretty great outfits. Steve was completely surprised.
Before the party, I bought some nerdy retro glasses at a
costume shop as well as name tags and party hats. I also printed off a bunch of photos of Steve from over the years, all with a general theme of weirdness or nerdiness. I was amazed at how many of these shots I have! ;) The pictures were taped to a chalkboard and hung up on tree branches, all over the yard.
Steve really likes candy, although he claims he will give it up, sometime during his 30th year. I don't believe him. That's why a candy bar was also present, complete with his favorites: Sour Patch Kids and Red Vines (ok, fine, maybe Red Vines are my favorite).
I wasn't sure what to get Steve for his big 30th b-day, but luckily he made it easy. A few months ago, Steve and I decided to cook our first steak of the season on our BBQ. We were enjoying our meal when we noticed smoke coming out of the grill. When Steve went to investigate, flames were shooting up from the inside. After using up our fire extinguisher, we finally called 911. Luckily we put it out before the firemen got there...but the BBQ was toast.
When I imagined having the party at our house, I knew it needed to involve charred burgers and dogs. So I picked out a nice new grill, and with some help (thanks Robin and Josh!) had it waiting (and hiding under a cover) for the party. After Steve got over his shock and changed into some mismatched nerd gear, I announced that it was time to fire up the BBQ. He started to protest, but then understood, took off the BBQ cover and admired his new grill.
Captain Ron was in charge of hamburgers and spicy hotdogs. He also wore a pretty sweet fish tie.
And what party would be complete without a photo booth? I really don't know if I will ever get sick of seeing the crazy photos that come out of these things. Pretty funny.
I do think that Josh, my sister's fiance, had the best costume though. He looked like he came straight out of Where's Waldo.
Finally, we finished off the night with root beer floats. I'm not sure why, but root beer floats had just seemed like a nerdy dessert choice to me.
After the party was over, I remember feeling a huge sense of relief. It's stressful planning a surprise party! But 30 is one of those birthdays that you've just gotta celebrate with lots of style. Or, if you're nerds like us, no style at all.
