Scott's 30th

Let me start by saying that I usually find birthday parties a bit self indulgent and have largely managed to avoid them since I was about 10. Sarah knowing this, decided to organise a surprise birthday to mark the celebration of 30 years of my being. I thought I was going to get away with not having a party as my birthday fell on the Saturday night of Chris Thorp's bucks night and I was going to be at the snow with a heap of mates - like I said to Sarah : "you just can't help bad luck!"

Anyway, I thought we were just going out to dinner with some friends of Sarah that I hadn't met. As we were getting ready to leave I happened to notice two bottles of red wine missing from the wine rack - now I don't normally notice these kinds of things but it was by chance that only the day before I have completely filled the rack and the two missing were quite obvious. I asked Sarah if she knew anyting about it, which she DENIED - but she had actually put them in the boot of the car for the party. I did the usual "are you sure? if you have it's ok, just tell me now" kind of stuff. Nothing, didn't even budge, so now I go into all the scenarios, I'm prety sure it wasn't me, we must have been burgled!!!! (My car had been burgled the week before) I was trying to work out when, why , how etc. I figured they must have done it the previous night, but why only two bottles of wine, why not the digital camera sitting next to the wine rack. And which two were taken anyway? I then started to panic that we were being watched and that they were going to come back - maybe we shouldn't go out after all. I was then thinking of all the counter measures that I could take - like connecting the power point up to the door handle. I wasn't really in the mood for making small talk to strangers, which fortunately I didn't have to do (and I was going to get to drink my wine after all!)

When I walked in the first person I saw was Aunty Rob, I thought that's a coincidence - but not that much because she's always out and about at nice restaurants. Then I saw Sarah's folks, my folks, some friends, then I thought wow this is a coincidence. It was only when people went SURPRISE that it started to click, I thought it must have been for Sarah AND me (still being in my late twenties, with a week to go, who would have thought of a 30th!), but when I looked at Sarah it all became clear! There were people from all over the place, it took a few minutes for it all to sink it. I felt like I was on "This is your life!"

One of the worrying things that dawned on me soon after arriving was that the balloons Sarah had put around the restaurant matched my shirt and pants - which up until that point I had thought I had chosen to wear....

Anyway I got a stack of great gifts, it really wasn't necessary - people's presence were enough of a present to me. Thanks to everyone who came and a big thank you to the greatest girlfriend in the world (although I'm meant to be saying fiancee now).

Thank you to all the attendees especially those who had to travel interstate! :

• Alex and Sandra Walker (Sydney)
• Aunty Rob
• Alind, Anshu and Momo Kumar (thanks to Alind for all the photos from the night!)
• Barb Finch
• Catherine Alexander
• Michael Shaik
• Michelle Meek (Byron Bay)
• Pam Quane and Mark Denton (Sydney)
• Ray Brown, Peter Foley and Mick Brewer
• Ray and Christine Kristiansen
• Ray Skinner and Natalie Hewett
• Rebecca
• Rohit Tamhane and Lynn Zhou (Jerrabomberra)
• Simon Rodda and Carla (Sydney and Dubbo)
• Steve Paavilainen (new father)
• Stephen Schrapel
• Tracey Kristiansen