We are so sneaky!
Last night, my dad’s coworkers and my family teamed up to surprise him with a retirement party!
My dad is retiring at the end of the year and had absolutely no idea a surprise send off party has been in the works for him for months.
Sharon headed up the party planning and did such a nice job.
Sharon and my dad have worked together for years and my dad joked that they had a “retirement pact” and were supposed to go out together. Our family adores her and after talking with her for only a minute, you can tell she’s such a genuine person with a good heart. She planned a fantastic party!
The party took place at the Renaissance Vinoy hotel in downtown St. Petersburg – the same place where Ryan and I got married!
The hotel is all decked out for the holidays right now and looked gorgeous.
My dad’s party was held at Fred’s, a restaurant located within the hotel. The evening included heavy hors d’oeuvres, featuring my dad’s favorite sushi and sashimi.
The food was great and there was a lot of it, so we were able to fill our appetizer plates a few times. Yum!
Dessert was also fantastic. I loved the mini crème brulee (which I apparently cut out of the picture) and chocolate mousse squares.
Toward the end of the evening, several of my dad’s colleagues spoke about my dad and my sister and I shared a poem we wrote with everyone. As my dad’s daughter, I only know the “at home” side of my dad, so it was neat he hear people talk about his character in a professional setting. I felt so proud to be his daughter and teared up at the closing remarks he delivered when he thanked the company and my mom.
It was a very special night!
Aspaeris Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to…
- Samantha: “Prior to my first 5K back in October, I had never worn compression anything. In fact, I wasn’t really sure what all the hype was about. However, I developed severe shin splints during the training. The guy at the running store suggested I use compression sleeves for my shins, and I have loved them ever since. I’d really like to try these compression shorts as I am currently experiencing problems with my hip flexor.”
Please email me at pbfingers@gmail.com with your mailing address and preferred size and color of the compression shorts and we’ll get them to you ASAP!
Reebok Giveaway Winners
Congratulations to…
- Phoebe: “Shoes! And I’d give them to my mom bc she wants some lightweight shoes…you love those, right?”
- Aaron: “My girlfriend would love the Crossfit Jacket, especially for outdoor runs in Michigan!”
Please email me with your mailing address and preferred size and we’ll get you your shoes and jacket right away!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
So nice of everyone to throw your dad a party! I love your skirt or dress?
Awww! So sweet of your dad’s co-worker to throw him a retirement party! The food looked amazing! I especially love the desserts. Creme brulee is my favorite 🙂
We did the same thing for my dad a few weeks ago – I loved seeing how surprised he was!
What a great surprise for your dad! I’m sure he loved being able to share his retirement both with his family and work friends. And by the way, the food looks SO good! I think it’s time for me to go make breakfast now… 😉
That’s so sweet that you all planned such a nice retirement party for your Dad! It looks awesome! My Dad & my father-in-law each hope to retire soon… may have some party planning in my future too. 😉
That looks like a great party! Congrats to your dad on his retirement! What a great accomplishment!
That’s so sweet! I’m sure he absolutely loved and appreciated the surprise retirement party. The food looks especially delicious. 🙂
Awwww, I just love dads!
Awww that’s so sweet of you all! And I love that you got to hear other people’s view of your dad, I think that would be interesting to hear about my dad!
Congrats to you dad! That’s such a beautiful venue, I can see why it was a repeat choice for y’all. 🙂
Sounds like a special evening for your whole family, but especially your Dad. Congrats to him! Is your Mom looking forward to having him around more? I know lots of women joke around about having their husband around TOO much after he retires! 😉
Congrats to your dad – it looks like you all had a really great time!
I know what you mean about only knowing your dasd’s at home side! I used to love joining my dad at his office every now and then for that reason.
Ps. How sweet is it that one of the Reebok giveaway winners entered for his gf!?
I love sushi and chocolate covered strawberries! That spread looks awesome!
It feels so great to pull of a surprise! I love hearing other people talk about my parents in a light we dont get to see them in. It makes me so proud!
Such a nice surprise for your dad! I always think a person’s true character is shown through what other people are willing to do for that person. Looks like your dad has a lot of people who admire and respect him!
Congratulations for your dad! The food looks so good 🙂 I think it’s really sweet that the party was at the same place as your wedding, and the fact that it was decorated for Christmas makes it even better!
You guys are the cutest family! That is so sweet of your family to plan that with his coworkers. I’m sure it meant so much to him to be honored by you guys!
That party is so sweet!! I must have been fun to see your dad there in that work setting, because like you mentioned, dads are always a little different when they’re at home/around their families than they are at work sometimes 🙂
That’s so cool – I bet your dad really appreciated it! That must have brought back a lot of happy memories for you and Ryan, too 🙂
So nice of you guys to throw a surprise party for your dad! It looks like it was a BEAUTIFUL event. When my dad turned 50, his co-workers threw a surprise birthday party for him at our house. I was only 4 at the time, but I still remember a lot of it — especially how overwhelmed I was by all these people I didn’t know!
What a special night! Congratulations to your dad, that’s so great you were able to celebrate together!
Very sneaky! Surprises are the best. Congrats to your dad 🙂
What a wonderful surprise! Congrats to your Dad!!!! 😀 Such an exciting time!! Now your parents can really enjoy their new condo..and those beautiful sunrises on the beach!
Yay for Bob! Congrats!
Awww! I’m such a daddy’s girl, so this made me tear up. You know what else made me tear up? That Aaron won this giveaway for his girlfriend. How sweet is that!? What a good boyfriend.
That sounds so nice! It really is cool to hear about your parents in a work setting. All the food looks good, and I love your outfit!
What a sweet gesture!! aww!
Love your outfit 🙂
Congrats to your dad, that was certainly a nice surprise!
What a great thing to do for your dad! I’m sure he was so appreciative!
What a great thing for your dad! It sounds like many people care about him to throw such a fantastic party! I love your outfit, by the way!
Your party looks wonderful!
I remember you saying that John Travolta lives in Ocala… I just watched “I Think You Might Like It” (Google It!) (because I LOOVE GREASE!!) and it seems to be that it was taped in Ocala 🙂 Too bad you didn’t run into Danny and Sandy!
That’s so sweet! Looks like it was a great party!
What a great surprise!
And I also love how both the giveaway winners chose to give the items to others! Yay for the Christmas spirit!!!
awww! That is so sweet! It must have been such a special night for him –especially seeing how many people appreciate his hard work
Awww that’s so sweet! And it looks yummy!
What a nice party. I like the pictures in this post.
Congrats to your dad on retiring 😀
awww that is such a sweet and fun surprise! I can feel the excitement of everyone there, and I’m always touched by how family-oriented your whole family is. Very cool 🙂
Such a fun surprise! Congratulations to your dad on retiring!
I think we may have the same skirt 🙂
Congratulations to you Dad!! I believe he works for the same company as I do. 🙂
It looks like it was a fantastic party!
Doesn’t it feel weird to be wearing a skirt and tanktop in December? Come on winter!
Aww how sweet your dad got to celebrate his retirement with such a nice party! I’m glad he enjoyed himself!
Oh wow! I’d say your dad was delighted – love the dress or is it a skirt and top combo?
Congrats to your dad!
awww Congrats to your Dad, looks like an awesome party! Such a thoughtful thing to do.
I am staying at that hotel at the end of the month! I cannot wait, it looks lovely! Congrats on surprising your Dad, aren’t surprise parties fun?!
-AJ
FitTravelerAJ.blogspot.com
Aw, it’s so nice to see how respected your partners and family members are at work. I always go to my boyfriend’s work events with such pride 🙂