Bill Watt’s Blog

Click here for some pics from the visit.

So, last night we had a surprise party for Alice. The plan was to meet up with our friends for a nice dinner out.

As far as Carl and Alice knew we were heading out to dinner at Maggiano’s like any other dinner out. I was rushing those two because we were running a little late. I walked in the front door and saw 15 or so friends standing there so I knew Alice would be shocked. She took two steps in and looked at me with that look that said, “What are you doing?” I looked back and said, “Uh… recognize anyone?” She took a 3 count and then that’s when it hit home.

So, this is how the night started. From here we had a drink in the bar and waited for our table to be called. It was a fun mix from the start with a bunch of different parts of our lives coming together and it was really nice how different folks went out of their way to welcome Carl.

The restaurant has a rule about parties over 14 people and required us to order off a family style menu. I decided to delegate the decision making and rolled out my plan in a wildly unorganized method. I broke the table into 3 sets of 6 and each section ordered one of the courses. We had the following:

• Bruschetta
• Calamari
• Caesar Salad
• Chopped Salad
• Shrimp & Angel Hair al Arrabbiata
• Four Cheese Ravioli
• Chicken Parmesan
• Beef Medallions, Portabella Mushrooms, Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Tiramisu
• Chocolate Zuccotto Cake

(If you were there and I got it wrong… let me know!)

The waiter was awesome and did a good job hanging with our crazy style.

Alice got to have dinner with 16 friends, her father and myself and it was a great time! We’ll have to figure out how to surprise her next year.

I’m not sure if you guys have heard of Global Giving but it is a pretty cool site that lets you donate to some pretty interesting causes.

One cause I heard about that seemed really cool is the Train Platform Schools for Children in India that has the mission is to “help the children deprived of normal conditions of life and create a society free from child labor, exploitation and abandonment. As the development of these children is worthwhile when they become active participants and positive contributors to their communities, it is aimed to provide joyful and innovative education, health care, supplementary nutrition, recreation, counseling, vocational training, rehabilitation and repatriation services to these children.”

Check it out and look for ideas that appeal to you and might be something you’d want to support.