No one throws a birthday bash like Robbie! Coming on her 71st birthday, she decided she wasn’t going to leave the plans to anyone else….they were too important. Every year she throws herself a BIG party and couples it with a day of appreciation for her customers. This year the venue fits 400 people…but slight problem, she invited close to 800.

Giving her son, Tim, a bit of a lecture on being sure he stepped up at the restaurant while she stepped out to plan the party, it was clear she meant business. Although Charles was around, she knew he wasn’t reliable. In the midst of her son’s lecture she asked Charles why he was late. Apparently her nephew has transportation issues. Already through 6 cars at his young age (most of them crashed), I think Tim was right. It was time for that boy to learn to ride the bus! Calling a staff meeting to be sure everyone was on the same page; Robbie wasn’t leaving anything to chance. She made a point to let everyone know that Tim couldn’t fire anyone in her absence. “That’s like telling the town the sheriff has no power” he scoffs at his mother. He just knew she was setting him up for failure. PLUS she asked him to call a few banks to try to get a loan for their newest restaurant, The Upper Crust.

Then there was the introduction of Jazzmin, a server at the restaurant who has BIG dreams. A singer at heart, and not the best employee, she was all worked up over American Idol coming to town. Charles felt this was the perfect opportunity to hit her up for becoming her manager. That child is too funny! It was clear he had a little crush on her. Always trying to work it, he was hoping to profit from her opportunity.

Knowing that Tim was under a tremendous amount of stress, his fiancée Jenae tried to offer up her support. Pouring over the long list of events coming their way….a baby, Robbie’s party, their wedding….Tim stopped her in her tracks. He proposed and his job was done. The rest was her deal. Seriously! With admittedly no time for babies and weddings, I had a feeling that Tim was heading for a “talk”.

In the meantime, Robbie moved forward with booking her venue, flamingo dancers, bands, champagne fountains and even ice sculptures. She was going all out. Luckily Sweetie Pie’s was covering all the food. As one of the original Ikettes, Robbie was so excited about some of the other Ikettes coming to the party. She couldn’t wait for them all to be singing together again. After going through the department store racks in her own closet, Robbie set out to find the perfect outfit…it was all about wanting a purple dress.

Frustrated at employees showing up late and having to take on even more, Tim let a little frustration with a tiny food fight. Okay…he just threw a little flour, but that was enough to get Ike, the line cook on the line with momma to rat him out. Then he realized Jazzmine wasn’t there; she was working on improving her lung capacity for the big American Idol audition. Once the day came, she camped out in line with her mom.

The next step was planning the food for the party. Robbie left the food details up to Tim, but of course provided detailed requests. Deciding to just go with what his mother wants, Tim prepared for 500. He had bigger things to attend to…his mother’s birthday gift! As a surprise, Tim brought in Joshie, one of the original Ikettes. Robbie was blown away. He totally scored serious mom points! “There’s nothing like old friends. They’re there forever. Those are your roots” Robbie reminded us all. With the other two original Ikettes in town (Joshie and Jessie), Robbie had the ideal shopping partners.

As the party approached, Tim got less and less sleep. Cooking for 500 people isn’t easy! Getting her friends to help out, Robbie did a final walk through and made sure everything was in place. The party bus left at 6 and many special friends and clients were on it. As they arrived to the party, the energy was crazy. The place was packed and sadly there were some that didn’t make it in. Full of love and life, nothing was bringing her down…until she saw that the food lines weren’t moving. Jumping in back, she started to work the party. In the kitchen, Robbie was pulling it all together. In the meantime Tim was still at the restaurant prepping for the next day.

Then it came time to get the music rockin’. The Ikettes jumped up on stage and sang some of their old songs. What an amazing sight. Five Ikettes on stage missing one thing…Tina Turner! So Tim brought out the last surprise for his mom. He came on stage in a Tina Turner wig and gave her the memory of a lifetime. What a party!