Imagine this..It’s a Tuesday and it’s your 37th birthday.  No big deal, right?  You pick the kids up from school, run into the store to grab a couple of things, listen to your kids tell you about their day at school in the car.. at the same time, then you pull into the driveway and breathe a sigh of relief because you hope you’re in for a relaxing, hopefully treat-filled evening with your family, and BAM.. confetti hits your face and you hear screams of Happy Birthday! as you walk in the front door.   You can’t help but smile and your worries melt away when you see your friends and family there to celebrate your birthday with you.

Surprising people is fun, don’t you agree?   Despite that everyday life gets hold of our natural instinct to make people happy, it’s human nature to want to make people happy and surprise them.   A surprise doesn’t have to be BIG or expensive to be appreciated but Marriott Rewards® is going big and is giving you and I the opportunity to throw an amazing surprise party for someone special that will be BIG!   The last nomination period for Marriott Rewards’ Year of Surprises is happening now through August 31st!  There is still time to nominate a special person in your life to win a once in a lifetime surprise party just like four other people already have after having been nominated!  Surely, you can think of at least one person who deserves to be celebrated this year?

Did your child graduate college or high school this year?  Did a friend return from a tour of duty or beat the odds after a health scare?  These are all great reasons to celebrate!  Don’t downplay milestones like these and even birthdays.  Turning 40, 50, 60+ is a big deal and should be celebrated.   Time isn’t indefinite – celebrate life!

Marriott Rewards Surprise Parties

Marriott Rewards has already announced eight winners in the Year of Surprises contest from the first two nomination periods. Four of the winners have already experienced their unique surprise party! You can see all the parties at http://yearofsurprises.com/latest-parties.

While all of the people who have been chosen to have a surprise party hosted for them are amazing, two ‘Year of Surprises’ parties that resonated with me are Super Dad’s Rockin’ Bash and Courtney’s High School Graduation.

Amanda, a mom of two with a 2-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia at age 2, nominated her husband, aka “Super Dad”.  Bryan left his job to be by his daughter’s side at the hospital for 6 months.  Amanda nominated her husband for a party of a lifetime because he is truly a “Super Dad.”  For Bryan’s upcoming 30th birthday, Amanda gave her husband the surprise celebration of a lifetime at The Baron’s Theatre at Whiskey Row Lofts in Louisville, KY.  The night was filled with performances by Bryan’s favorite musicians, including Jalin Roze and the Violet Knives, face painting and dancing for the kids, and a surprise reunion performance by Bryan with his college band, Modern Silence.

Watch Amanda and Bryan’s story:

Dwayne Stevenson was the first lucky Year of Surprises winner and he chose to throw a surprise graduation party for his eldest son, Courtney at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Courtney’s family moved from Texas during the middle of his sophomore year of high school, which was a very hard time to leave his friends. Dwayne wanted to throw his son a surprise graduation party to celebrate the important milestone before Courtney heads off to college in the fall. Courtney’s friends and family came from all over the country to celebrate with him.

Watch Courtney’s story:

Why become a Marriott Rewards member?

Marriott Rewards brings memorable experiences to life for its members.  Two of my favorite perks of being a Marriott Rewards member is the late check-out and free wi-fi.  Read about and watch a video of me explaining what I love about Marriott Rewards!  Marriott Rewards is free to join and has no blackout dates*. Members can earn and redeem points at 14 distinct hotel brands with more than 3,800 hotels in 70 countries and territories. Members can also redeem points for frequent flyer miles, cruises, car rentals, merchandise and more.

Voted “Program of the Year” 7 years in a row, Marriott Rewards has maintained excellence in rewarding members with points to redeem for hotel stays, flights, exclusive events and shopping. Through their membership, guests earn status to receive memorable experiences during their hotel stays with benefits such as priority check-in and complimentary room upgrades. For 30 years, the magic of Marriott Rewards has helped travelers create new memories all around the globe.

To enroll in Marriott Rewards and see all the benefits of membership, visit marriott.com/rewards. And don’t forget to visit yearofsurprises.com to nominate a loved one and get upcoming related updates on nomination periods, winner information and latest parties.

*Hotels may limit the number of standard rooms available for redemption on a limited number of days. All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply.

How to nominate someone for a surprise party

Marriott Rewards is looking for the most memorable ideas you can come up with, so go to yearofsurprises.com and nominate your loved one today for a surprise party.  Nominations will be reviewed based on creativity/uniqueness of entry, overall appeal of nomination essay, and feasibility of the surprise party. Four winners will be notified in September and parties will be scheduled throughout the remainder of the year. This is the last nomination period for Year of Surprises so enter now!  Keep up with all the winners and their stories at yearofsurprises.com.  You could be next!

Limit one (1) entry per person/email address per nomination period.  Please see the “Nominate” section at yearofsurprises.com for the nomination entry form and requirements.  You do not need to be a Marriott Rewards member to submit a nomination, but if your nomination is chosen, you and the nominee will need to enroll at Marriott.com/rewards.  For more details on the contest, check out the Year of Surprises official rules at yearofsurprises.com/rules.

– Alicia