'Costco-loving fiancé' was stunned to run into all his friends — his girlfriend had secretly planned it all

What's more beautiful than being surprised on your birthday in a place you love with all your best friends? With life moving forward at breakneck speed, we lack the time to gather all our friends under one roof, but Bailey, who goes by the username @the_spacequeen on Instagram, made it happen for her fiancé Karl Neilsen, whose username is @karlfunhouse on Instagram. She posted a video of the time she threw him the best party he could imagine in his no.1 favourite place in the world — COSTCO. It turned out to be a surprise like no other.

Bailey must officially win the award for the best girlfriend ever for throwing her fiancé a party he couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams. She took him to COSTCO for a shopping spree a few days ahead of his birthday — but to his surprise, he kept meeting all his friends one after another. First, he spotted a group from his neighborhood and seemed unsuspiciously happy, but then ran into another friend shopping for household goods, then another one by the liquor shelves, and another by the food section, with more and more pooling into the store.

Every time he met a new bunch, he would lose his mind all over again, excitedly letting them know about this wonderful coincidence. He not only posted an Instagram story sharing with his followers how he kept running into his friends, but also clicked a group selfie with 10 friends he met with “coincidentally,” still unaware of what was going on. He showed the selfie to the next friend he saw. He also said jokingly, “This is the flash mob that we did not plan.” When he walked into the food court after checking out at the counter, he found all his friends sitting on the chairs with boxes of pizzas, singing, “Happy birthday to you.” His reaction was priceless when he finally realized that the evening had all been planned by his friends and girlfriend — he finally “caught on!”

In an article by Melissa Hughes, she states, “If you prefer the predictability of life, here is a little news you can use: Your brain loves surprises!” She adds, “There is science in surprise. Neuroscientists have discovered that surprise is one of the most powerful human emotions. As it turns out, the brain’s pleasure center (or the nucleus accumbens) lights up like a Christmas tree when you experience something that you didn’t expect. Not only do you get a nice boost of dopamine, the brain releases noradrenaline — the neurotransmitter responsible for focus and concentration. Think of it as the reset button for the brain. It actually stops all of the other brain activity to let you find meaning in the surprise.”

According to research by the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus, “Large majorities believe that birthdays for family members, close friends, and themselves are worthy of celebrating. Nearly half believe that coworkers’ and pets’ birthdays are worth celebrating.” They also mentioned that women are more likely to find celebrating birthdays worthwhile than men in the U.S. When asked which age one should stop celebrating birthdays, “14% think they should stop at age 50 or over, 14% say it should be at some time between ages 22-29, and 17% claim it should stop at age 21 or under.”

After watching the adorable video, @claybutnotthatclay joked, “Costco: Even friends come in bulk,” while @renn_kat shared, “I used to work at a doggy day care and I s**t you not this is EXACTLY what it’s like watching a dog come in and seeing all their best friends are also at daycare.” @moondust.salon wrote, “The fact he never catches on. He needs to be protected at all costs,” and @mcclurealia commented with laughing emoticons, “You got him so good.”

You can follow Bailey (@the_spacequeen) on Instagram for more spiritual content.