Our one and only, Karen Mooradian, turned the big 6-0 this past Thursday. Little did she know, her coworkers had surprises in store for her. Karen, being the dedicated worker that she is, normally arrives at work around the time most people are just opening their eyes. I often picture her driving in the dim dawn and passing roosters that haven’t even crowed yet. With that being said, at the end of the work day Karen usually leaves a bit earlier than the rest of us. This allowed us the perfect opportunity on Wednesday afternoon to decorate Karen’s office and prepare for her 60th birthday celebration. Streamers were hung, balloons were blown up, canes and walkers were strategically placed and – maybe the best part of all – Karen’s picture was hung EVERYWHERE (even inside the fridge)! After a brief stop mid-decorating to watch the hail storm outside (and check that Debbie’s sun roof was closed), we tidied up the office, wrapped up our work for the day and left. We were excited for Karen to see all the hoopla, but we were a little sad we wouldn’t see her initial reaction. We all love her, but maybe not enough to get to work at 6:00 AM! The next day as I walked in, the first thing I said to Karen was “Happy Birthday! What was your reaction when you walked in this morning?” Karen replied with cheerful comments but the one that stuck in my head the most was “I can’t stop smiling”. She was so happy knowing that her coworkers put in a little extra time and effort just to celebrate her – and, boy, did she deserve it. By late afternoon, we were celebrating with delicious food and – of course – some birthday cake.
