SURPRISE



Maura was so surprised!  She was speechless!

 My friend Maura and her twin brother Maurice are celebrating their 60th birthday this month. Maura's friend and roommate arranged for a surprise party for the siblings.


Close-up of a speechless Maura, seconds before she burst into happy tears

 The party was held in Studio City, and was a huge success.  It was remarkable, not just for being fun, but that we all - and by that I mean all us blabbermouths - managed to keep it a total secret!

Marcy and Maura exclaim over the beautiful cake!

The cake was a work of art.  It had a beautiful photo of Maura and Marcy on top.  Inside it was many layers of moist chocolate and luscious cream frosting.

The cake was just beautiful!  And it was delicious!

There was a nice mix of people there, and, as all gatherings in this area of the world, we had a screenwriter, a stunt woman, a TV critic and journalist, a published author and all kinds of other folks in attendance.  I love my friends.

Maura and Jackie (Sadly I didn't notice how out of focus this was that night.  I snapped it rather quickly)

Peggy, Joyce and Maura

There was a terrific slideshow presentation of Maura and Marcy's lives which we all enjoyed very much:

 ...including family photos...

 ...family residences...

 ...and birthday wishes via video from family members such as Aunt Betty (above), and Bert the dog (below), who was remarkably articulate for a canine, and brought the house down with his happy birthday wishes and general musings about life.  What a dog!

It was a lovely tribute to two very genuine, kind and warm people.  I can't believe the amount of effort it must have taken to not only put together the slideshow, but to get people to send in their videos.

Especially with our friends.  It's like herding cats.

Maura and Marcy with their canine children

The little show ended with the picture that was also on the cake.  Everyone applauded.

Maura and Mary Jo, with Jackie and Gina in the background

Mild-mannered screenwriters conferencing

It was fun to see a few people I haven't seen for a long time.  There were actually quite a few more people attending than I've included photos of. 

Good friends

It's always fun to get together with friends.  It's also nice to celebrate birthdays of the people you love.  I'm so glad to count Maura among my good friends.  She is truly a lovely lady.

Thanks, Jackie, for a memorable evening!