Many months ago, our daughters thought it would be a great idea to surprise their Dad with a big surprise birthday party for his memorable 75 years. So many plans were actively going on for several months. Of course, I was involved to help get photos of him of special things in his life. It is hard to do when he is always with me!! I would quickly grab photos from albums while Charles was mowing the lawn. I borrowed shoes from his closet to use at the marathon/running themed party they were planning--I sort of got caught on the shoe thieving, but he did not catch on to anything. All the plans fell into place. Many people were invited, and it was lovely to have so many friends and relatives come for the party which was at Cheryl and Kent's home near Spokane. When we drove into Cheryl's yard, there were lots of cars there, and he still did not catch on. He thought they had just invited a lot of people over for lunch that day. When he walked into the house, all the people yelled "Surprise" and then he finally caught on that it was a birthday celebration for him. We enjoyed a pasta meal similar to what we might eat prior to a marathon. Gatorade was the drink of choice. The special cake featured a marathon runner at the finish line with the time of his last marathon, which was in Walla Walla about a month before his November 17 birthday. They had a special shirt made for him too.