Sunday, July 25, 2010

Goodbye Party Month 2010

This year's version of Party Month seemed stretched out and at the same time, it felt less substantial than in year's past. All of the party's went well, though one still remains to be pulled off next weekend. Grace's birthday party seems like such a distant memory . . . the buildup to The Last Airbender that was such a disappointment to Lynda and I. But luckily, Grace didn't seem to mind that much. She got to have good fun with some of her friends and there was indoor and outdoor activity and food and drink and cake and presents and . . . well, what more can you ask for when you turn seven?

Lynda's birthday went by anticlimactically. I got her useful gifts (a quality citrus reamer and a good zester) that she wanted and that are functional and practical and  . . . well, what more do you want when you are an adult and have three kids, a mortgage, car repairs, and whatever else life decided to throw at you? I think she appreciated the things I got and we will continue to use them in our food cooking for a long while.

Our anniversary (15th!) was a bit more special. We managed to secure a baby sitter and splurged on a very nice dinner at the Ocean Club. And then we say Toy Story 3. Though we didn't plan it as such, the first Toy Story came out in theaters the same year that we got married back in 1995. So, it was sort of full circle, I guess.

Sarah's actual tenth birthday came and went without tons of specific fanfare. (Her party is the one that is still lagging . . . to be completed this upcoming weekend.) We partied a lot this past week in our church's Vacation Bible School and didn't miss the opportunity to present Sarah with a cake and a room full of people to sing Happy Birthday to her. I think she liked that.

And she bought herself the present she wanted, her very own iPod Nano. She has saved money for months to get it and has done extra chores to earn more money. She even bought some songs this afternoon to start filling it up with stuff she likes. (I'd list the relevant songs, but I think she is writing a blog post about it now. So, instead, I'll just leave the descriptions to her, in her own words.)

So, I'm in a more peaceful place than the last time I blogged.

I've still got LOTS of work to do and didn't force myself to spend time working on it. I'm quite sure that tomorrow will result in some pulled hair as a result of that decision. But life is for the living, so I'm not going to regret spending time relaxing and enjoying pool parties with friends of our kids. (Which is what we did last night . . . and that was lots of fun.)

So, good bye Party Month. You were fun, you were frustrating, you made me anxious, you made me hectic. You remind me of all the good things and good decisions in my life and you remind me why I bother to go to work in the first place.

You've done your duty for another year.

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