back in action.

people who know me oh so well.

Well, the days of Australian love and merriment are behind us, and we had a fabulous time with our family when they visited. They were here for one week and some of the highlights included:

- Meeting our God-daughter (that's right, we're parents kind of!) 

Quinn for the first time and falling totally in love with her.

- Watching home movies from when the boys were silly little tikes.

- Eating our body weight in seafood; you know, to get the full experience of New England.

- Going to Fire & Ice, an awesome restaurant in the city with my in-laws.

- Having an incredible dinner at Alchemy in Gloucester as a double date.

- Taking two vacation days from work, heck yes.

- Having plenty of relaxing time to reconnect as friends.

- The boys getting tattoos together; don't worry, they aren't matching ones.

But one of the dearest memories of the week for me was a very early surprise birthday party!

If you are a deep, deep addict like myself, you're aware of a certain plot line in FRIENDS from "The One Where Rachel Smokes". 

Phoebe and Monica decide to throw a surprise party for Rachel over a month before her birthday so that she's really surprised. And the planning evolves as follows:

Monica: All right, that's a little sketch of the cake, umm some sample menus, umm y'know what I thought we would start out with Tuscan style finger food, and for music, here's an alphabetized list of all my CDs! I've highlighted the ones that would go really good with the food.

Phoebe: What happened to the intimate dinner party?

Monica: Oh, we're not doing that. Okay…

Phoebe: So wow, it looks like you took care of everything. Thanks a lot, co-host.

Monica: What?! I didn't take care of everything, there's-there's plenty of things for you to do!

Phoebe: Like what?

Monica: (Thinks) Cups.

Phoebe: Cups? You're giving me cups?

Monica: And ice!

Phoebe: Cups and ice? Ooh, I get to be in charge of cups and ice? (Thinks of something) All right. Fine, okay, I will be in charge of cups and ice!

Monica: Wait a minute, I can get ice at the restaurant…

Phoebe: I got it! Mine!

(later)

Phoebe: (entering, carrying two garbage bags) Hey!

Ross and Chandler: Hi!

Phoebe: Is it okay if I leave this stuff here 'til Rachel's birthday party?

Chandler: Ah sure. What's in 'em?

Phoebe: Umm, cups.

Chandler: Oh good, because uh we got Rachel 800 gallons of water.

Ross: Seriously that's a lot of cups.

Phoebe: Yeah well, that's 'cause Monica put me in charge of cups and ice, and Monica is gonna rue the day that she put me in charge of cups and ice.

I love Pheebs. So that's when the party looked like this:

{via}

Phoebe: (To Chandler) Check it out! Cup hat! (Points to her hat.) Cup banner! Cup chandelier! And the thing that started it all, the cup! (Holds up one.)

Chandler: Great job with the cups, Pheebs!

Monica: (overhearing that) Why don't you just go out with her!

(Chandler starts to follow her into the kitchen.)

Phoebe: (following him) And did you notice the ice? (Gestures to 3 huge buckets of ice on the table.) Look! We have it all! We have crushed! Cubed! And dry! Watch! (Pours some water onto the dry ice, causing it to evaporate/smoke.) Ahhh! Mystical!

Chandler: Awesome!

Monica: Chandler! Everyone--no one's eating my Tuscan finger food 'cause they're all filling up on Phoebe's snow cones!

Aaaah, I just love it. That's classic Phoebe. So when I left work early on Friday to go home sick, I was really looking forward to just crawling into bed for a nap. Will, trying to coerce me into staying awake asks, "Would you sit with us out in the living room if we were watching FRIENDS?" Why yes, yes I would, always.

When I walk into the house, with my sweatpants and FRIENDS in mind, I walk into this:

A birthday banner, cup decorations, "The One Where Rachel Smokes" playing in the living room, a Funfetti cake in the oven, and everyone yelling "surprise"! About a week and a half before my birthday.

This wonderful, extremely surprising event was all the doing of my cousin's wife/more-like-a-sister-in-law, Dayna, who knows me oh so well.

And that's the most special feeling.

:)

Hope you all had a good week!

FRIENDS screenplay found here.