Expectant Joy

I was a freelance event planner before coming to Thirteen and every now and then I find myself tossed back into event planner mode.

Yesterday, Friday, I helped throw a baby shower. Actually the entire Membership department (where I mainly work because I straddle a couple of different departments) got together to pitch in and make sure that one of our own had a fun little send off before she departs for maternity leave.

Fortunately, the expectant mother-to-be didn’t suspect a thing and the look of surprise on her face when she opened the conference room door to discover all 20 of us in her department there, with cake, drinks, presents, balloons, ice cream and enough snacks to feed a small third world country, was definitely worth all the work that went into it.

I always said that event planning was the greatest job I ever loved, hated, loved, hated – usually all in the same ten minute time frame. The cake is late or you can’t find something crucial at the store that’s supposed to carry it… but all those troubles and worries evaporate when it comes together and there’s that look on the receiving end, that look of joy and appreciation for having done something extraordinary.