Rolene's Baby Shower

On October 11th, my whirlwind of a holiday season began. Believe me, I've got the dust and the wreckage in my house to prove it. (Every time I involved myself in any extra project my house seems to take the brunt of it.)
Randa and I had decided to throw our youngest sister Rolene a baby shower. So for a few months we postulated and created and found a perfect theme. "Pickles and Ice Cream." We even knew where we would throw such a shindig...the local Fentons Ice Cream Creamery, which is a local's favorite and one of our family's as well. We searched for invitations from a few reputable dealers and sites and found nothing that was either cute or affordable. So we decided to make our own. With the help of Rachelle VanBuskirk (her mind and her tools) we came up with these invites (as pictured above) for the shower. I think they turned out even cuter than anything we could've purchased.
We arranged with Rolene a 'plan' to get her to Vacaville on the October 11th weekend, where the shower would be, and set off from there. But before I go into all of the details, here's a little background into our innerworkings. In our family, surprises are an art, really!, they're meticulously planned and executed down to every last minute and element. Spy thrillers could take notes from our ability to divert attention to specific details, from our manipulation of all people involved, and from our ability to straddle the line between truth and fiction when creating our little schemes.
We first had to convince Rolene that she needed to come to Vacaville. So, we devised the idea that because she was going to have a baby (wouldn't be able to travel so far in the last trimester) and because she wasn't coming to Vacaville for Thanksgiving or Christmas (she would be visiting her husband's side this year), that she needed to come up for a visit so we could all see her (mini family reunion) before the baby was born. And, my family would be coincidentally traveling to Vacaville that weekend, so everyone, in town and out, would be there. (Which quickly became the plan when we decided to throw the shower this weekend.) We had her husband, David, on board and thus it was set, (which was a good thing because we had already arranged dates and time with the creamery.)
She took the bait and bought the plane ticket...Okay that part was done. We slyly asked for a few of her friends addresses and emails (for the invites) and still she didn't suspect a thing, that part, done...we were on a roll.
That weekend Chris drove all of us to Vacaville (he had to quickly leave as he had to fly up to Othello for his father's surprise 60th). So the kids and I were in Vacaville one or two days earlier than Rolene's planned arrival. Not a problem! We partied with Grandma and Grandpa and Randa and her kids and finished all of the final details of the shower.
Two major details of the shower had to be finalized...how would Rolene get to the Creamery without suspecting a thing and how would we hide her longtime friend Jessica from Oregon, who we had flown out for the festivities? Like I said, we're like superspys when it comes to these things. We formulated a new plan. What if Jessica, who would arrive hours before Rolene flew in, somehow got her to go there?...
When Rolene actually arrived to my mom's house, which was fairly late, we like always, all stayed up talking in the front room, where next door, slept her best friend who was tired from the travel. The next morning Rolene got ready for the day rather early..Oh no! That meant she was on to something. What pregnant woman who loves to sleep in, wakes early to get dressed all cute with no set plans for the day? So we had to distract her..how about with an old friend to surprise her...that would get her off of our shower trail. After a few secret phone calls between me and Randa, there was a loud knock at the door. "Rolene, I'm getting ready, can you get that?" I yelled. The shock on Rolene's face to see her childhood friend standing there was fantastic. Randa and I then looked at each other like "yep, this one's in the bag." I'm telling you, it's practically the script of a movie.
So Jessica and Rolene sat in our front room talking until Randa and I announced that we had planned pedicures for all of us and it was time to leave. This is where the fun part begins....
We're all sitting in our pedicure chairs swapping stories of worst dates and best, so on and so forth, when Jessica tells Rolene that she would really like to take Rolene out to lunch. So naturally they turn to Randa and I, and another family friend, Jen, who had met us for pedicures, asking for suggestions. "I don't know." I answered. Randa responded "How about Murrillos?" (a favorite mexican restaurant). And then ROLENE said with excitement, "Is Fentons open today? Let's go there, they have the best sandwiches and ice cream!" Randa and I again, looked at one another, like "Seriously, it's like shooting fish in a barrel!" And quickly her friend Jessica, who was going to suggest that anyway, agreed.
Now, really, Randa and I are into the small details...we even had our friend Jen slyly and "accidentally" say to Rolene as she was walking out of the salon with Jessica (to go shopping, or should I say to buy time for us to set up), "Oh, see you tonight!" Which Randa and I then proceeded to "get frustrated" at her. This way, if Rolene suspected a thing she would assume that if a shower was happening it would happen this evening and not in two hours, at the place that she thought of herself.....
We had everything set and ready, balloons, place settings (ice cream scoops attached to the menus) and everyone seated waiting for Rolene. We had told her friend Jessica a certain time and right on the minute, they arrived!
They were escorted to the "back room" to be seated by the waiter and when they turned the corner everyone yelled "Surprise!"
Rolene was totally surprised ...mission accomplished.
We all then ordered our meals, and afterward everyone ordered their ice cream sundaes. Everything was incredible! And totally worth it.