The Big Party

Well, Kevin's 30th birthday has come and gone. We celebrated in style! In June, Kevin and I went up to Kelowna to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. We stayed at this amazing resort called the Lake Okanagan Resort. It has an executive style golf course, horse back riding, a spa, many pools, a mile of beach front, and many other great things to do. While we were there we had so much fun that Kevin got the idea to have his 30th birthday party there. We weren't sure how to go about it so we visited the office while we were there and they said that they had a five bedroom chalet that could be rented out for the night. We quickly booked it and began to make the plans.Kevin has many friends that go back many years in time. This weekend we figured out that the one that has probably known him the longest was his friend James, because they have basically known one another since birth. He has hockey buddies, friends from elementary and junior high, and even some friends that he has met through me! He wanted to invite all of them. We sent out the invites pretty early because we wanted people to be able to book their schedules in advance. Before we knew it, the weekend was here!

What a great time we had! We went up on Friday night with our friends Cameron and Angela and her parents graciously hosted us for the night. On Saturday around 2 p.m. everyone started showing up. We checked in to the chalet and were very impressed! The bedrooms were gorgeous and there was a large living room area, a huge deck and the best part was the view! We looked out over beautiful Lake Okanagan and really enjoyed the sunset that night.Kev and his buddies quickly began their golf tournament that he had organized. They took off in groups of three and four and made their way around the course. Kevin's team of himself, Cameron and Rob took the championship and a $5 Starbucks card for each! Some of the ladies went to tour the Mission Hill winery and were very impressed by that.

At 7 p.m. it was time for the big birthday bbq! Everyone had brought different things for the meal and with everyone pitching in it was soon up and ready to go. A delicious spread of grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and salmon joined with fresh veggies, fresh fruit, chips and other yummy food. Before we knew it we were all stuffed and settling in for some good time of conversation and fun.Later everyone began to talk about heading down to the hot tub to enjoy the warm water before it was closed for the night so we took some time to enjoy the delicious cakes and sing to the birthday boy! 30 candles for 30 great years were lit and he managed to blow them all out. Everyone sang and he thanked all for coming. After cake it was off to the hot tub for some relaxation and laughter. Laughter was definitely not in short supply with this crew!The night finished off with a group game of Cranium. If you have never played that game with teams of four I highly suggest it! It was hilarious! Jen, Rob and Angela were the big winners of the night. By that time it was after midnight and people were ready to hit the sack.

The next morning we awoke to the most delicious smell, fresh blueberry pancakes being cooked by Mom and Dad Sowerby! They, along with some helpers, cooked up a breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad and juice. YUMMY! The pancakes were so delicious that everyone was wishing for the recipe. Some of us enjoyed our breakfast while watching the sun dance across the waters of the lake.Once breakfast was all cleaned up and everyone was packed it was sadly time to go our separate ways. Some headed for the beach, others played some more golf and some got on the road to head home. We had an amazing time and we are so grateful for all of the wonderful friends that we consider to be family. The group of 24 felt much smaller as we all enjoyed spending time talking, playing, and just enjoying the chance to get away!Happy Birthday Kev! I wonder what we will do for your 40th?