Surprise for me...

15th September 2012. We're late. Again. It's Lea's 1st birthday, and Nikki is doing God knows what, making us late for the event. I hate being late, because I hate being made to wait, and therefore hate having to make people wait for me. When she finally arrives, she says 'Oh, we have to go back to my place, I forgot something important!' By this time, I'm getting really annoyed at her... What's going on here?!... Nearing Founex, I get a call from Harriet, 'Yes, we're about to arrive, I'm so sorry we're late!' 'Oh, it's okay, see you in a bit!'
We arrive and I see the 'thing' she'd forgotten was spring rolls! WTH? I'm confused and annoyed, but somehow, I don't get angry. I walk through the door and shout out 'Hello, we're here!'... There seems to be no-one at all. 'What's going on?' Nikki walks in behind me, chirpy. Suddenly, as I walk into the living room, a group of madmen with lucha libre masks and banzai bandanas jump in front of me and start thrusting their pelvises into the air, shouting "OKKEEEEEEEI!!!!" like one of my favourite inappropriate comedians... It's my mates. Why are they here for my 1-year-old niece's birthday. And why do they all look like scary rapists. Or Street Fighters. And why is everyone filming me. By now, I look like a Berlusconi when he's getting his face-lift. I can't stop smiling ear-to-ear, but somehow I'm really confused, so there's that face-lift strain. Nikki's beaming, her sister Raissa, dressed like a Muay Thai fighter who could have me in a fight is cackling, filming my silly face, Harriet's there, in on the whole thing, also smiling, with Joshua in her arms, and I get hugs all-round from my friends... A surprise birthday party for me (three days before mine). The theme? What else: Sutoriito Faitaa!
It actually took me several hours to realise that it really was my birthday party, and that poor Lea was not going to get any attention today! As more and more people came trickling in throughout the day, I kept getting surprises! My cousins from Italy, my old schoolfriend Marco, and many others showed up. Nikki, Raissa, Grace and Hannah basically spent the whole day cooking while others were having fun. Simon and Caroline had prepared a ton of sushi. We had a blast. The photobooth was pretty fun too. And Kinect spiced up the evening, especially with Seira's funny dance moves. The Japanese are always the best dancers (ehem! I hear a big 'FU' coming my way).
Days, weeks, months after this day, I still struggle to believe my fiancée did so much, put so much effort into making this party happen, just totally shocked me and rocked me off my socks! The only thing that can motivate a person to do something similar is a deep, committed, extravagant love. I have never known anything like this in my life. At 28, I get my first surprise birthday ever. And it comes from the most amazing, unique, special person in my life. How she did it, I cannot know. But I know that I want to do stuff like that for her. And I know that I don't enough.
So baby, I just want to publicly say this. I love you. There's no one else in my life who has ever made my feel the way you do, and I want to spend the rest of my life working to make you feel special everyday. You fill a void in my heart, and lighten up my days. You make me want to be a better man, and your seriousness to your commitment to me amazes me. Thank you for being who you are, and thank you for wanting to follow me, even though I'm so clueless. Mwah!