This one took quite a bit of planning, since things didn't go quite as smoothly as we had hoped. But we were able to surprise Al with the appearance of his high school friend Ben, as well as an after-dinner trip to the local gentlemen's club. The really big surprise was that we all went inside (despite earlier refusals). Unfortunately, we weren't that impressed with the show. There was the one girl who hung off the pole with her legs, but other than that the girls weren't really good dancers (or strippers for that matter). We tried to buy a lap dance for Al, but he strongly declined.

Karen's 25th Birthday Surprise ~ April 10

I can fully appreciate how difficult it was for my friends to pull this one off.  The shopping spree, the dinner at Spring Rolls, the after dinner lounging at Panorama, the card, the surprise guests...they did an awesome job.  I still can't believe those martinis were $12...

Storm the Trent ~ May 16

I've already covered the story in my blog, but here are some images of the race.

Becel Ride for Heart ~ June 6

We didn't bring our cameras for this event, but luckily there were people taking Polaroids of the racers at the finish. We had to wear the hats for the photo.

The Bell City Chase ~ June 26

Hooray for "Team Triboluminescence", later dubbed "The Crazy 88's" by me. I had to keep repeating my mantra over and over throughout the day, but at some points it wasn't good at all. Thankfully, there were no photos of us when we crossed the finish line (I looked like crap). But lucky me, Emily took some of me eating the cat food.

The Toronto Islands ~ July 30

Again, this has been blog-documented, but I don't think I described the "quadricycle" fully, so here's the pic.  The lighthouse was pretty nice too.

Jocelyn/Emily Double (and Fake) Surprise ~ August 16

I know I make it entirely too complicated sometimes, but in a twisted way, I enjoy the challenge of pulling off a double surprise...especially when one of them is a "fake" surprise, designed to throw the person off from the "real" surprise.  Some might argue that the fake surprise really wasn't necessary (Jocelyn didn't suspect a thing...in both cases), but hey, just to be on the safe side...

The BSJF ~ August 22

The "real" surprise, full of mini-crises, close calls, and no-shows.  Typical surprise party fiascos, but worth it to see Jocelyn floundering about in total shock.

Apple Picking ~ October 9

I haven't gone apple picking since I was knee-high, which would explain why the trees look so short now.  The variable weather made it interesting, but the apples were good and the company (which included Emily's Medeba friends, Kelly and Cristen) was great.

Nigella Lawson ~ November 16

I went to Nigella's book signing primarily for my brother, who loves her and couldn't go himself because he had to work.  I have to admit, though, that I wanted to see her in person myself.  It was a zoo, as expected, but the line moved quickly and efficiently, and I was able to snap a few quick photos before being ushered quickly to the side.  We weren't allowed to pose with her, which was fine with me (after working all day and standing in line for a couple of hours, I looked like crap).

Company Holiday Party ~ November 26

I know it's a little early to be having a holiday party, but it actually makes some sense, since people start getting booked for parties in early December, and then people take off for vacations and so forth.  Everyone looked great and had the best time.  Co-workers in fancy duds and getting their groove on is quite a sight to behold.

Boni's Birthday Dinner ~ November 27

We couldn't just "take" Boni to her birthday dinner...we naturally had to "kidnap" Boni to her birthday dinner.  I was the driver, but I discovered that I had to stall, so I literally drove around in circles, guessing that she was counting the turns to figure out where we were going (I was right...she was).  I finally got her to Anatolia, where we had a big group of people we hadn't seen in ages (or ever) waiting for her.