mamaV: "So how long is this birthday going to last!?"
me: *matter-of-factly* "till monday!"
I really have to say, that this birthday has been one of the [if not the] best I've had in all my years...
I know that for the longest part of life, the mere idea of sharing the spotlight, the focus, the fun... or any of the exciting stuff, with anyone else was not only foreign, but completely outside my ideals. But this year, and my plethora o' birthday buddies, has proven me wrong! I've gotten such great joy in the preperation... presentation... and simply sharing the joy completely! Happy Birthday Matt & Emily!
I went over to the vande's early (after my late morning errands,) finished up packaging/wrapping the cooperative mathys gift, set up my N64, and began playing MarioKart to avoid falling asleep. Boys soon came down and joined me... and we actually got the gamecube to run MarioParty5.
Aaron was the first to arrive. To my utter surprise, he came bearing gift for moi: the absolute cutest monkey you ever did see! It's soft... and cuddly... and has a funky fooft of hair on it's head! He "was looking for a purple monkey, with music..." but I'm 127% satisfied!
Beth & Simeon soon came and we plugged in the movie before it had to be returned. Andy came in along the way... and Nela & Tom got there just as it finished (despite an excursion to BZCorners thanks to my wonderful, albethem misguided, directions.)
Nela came bearing gift for me. Noting the size, shape, and approximate weight; deducing that it was quite possibly a playable game; I figured it best to open it then and there. Hooray, they got me a new version of Trivial Pursuit: the 20th anniversary edition. She'd wanted to get the new Pop Culture, but couldn't find it. Obviously, I was excited to play. Somehow I was able to drag a few others along for the ride: Andy, Matt, Nela & Tom, & Pieter. Though we lost some folk along the way, and had to adjust the play rules toward the end, I had fun despite the randomness of the answers still!
After I had opened this pretty big gift, I figured it a good time to finally break out the cooperative package. Mathys got somewhat wide-eyed as I was emerging with yet another piece of the puzzle... I'm pretty sure he liked it, I just pray the laptop can fit inside right, I'd hate to have him waiting even more time to be able to properly transport everything. It was especially fun to watch him try and figure out all the pockets & zippers, as I had hidden treasures (including the cards everyone made, denoting who participated) all throughout the bag.
Somewhere in all of this the Nagreens showed up, and quickly dove into various Mario games hooting and hollering with the best of 'em. And finally, Miss Sue popped in betwixt all her moving ventures. She left in a bit of a hurry... but left behind lovely treasures for each of us: a beautiful bowl and plate set, complete with pasta, pesto, and a cute wooden spoon & a big mug stuffed with the knit hat she made with her own two hands.
It all went by so fast and furious, that it's a bit of a blur at this point. But I honestly had fun, and felt greatly appreciated. It was especially cool for me to have Nela be there and actively engage/interact with peoples whom she barely knows (only from talk of my life & vice versa.) At the end of the night, as matt & I were 'debriefing' so to speak, he noted that truly everyone had made it... *encouraging me, knowing about past years of disappointing turn-out* Gotta love 'em... so greatly concerned, enthusiastic, and almost selfless in it all!
Oh, there were yummy nummy enchiladas that I helped roll/stuff/prep & aaron grated cheese... but honestly, mamaV made 'em. Of course we had cheesecake for dessert feasting... also completely yummified!
Bittersweet was my sentiment in the end. Though I can't really figure out/explain why. I guess I could tell that not everyone was completely meshing. Some were having great amounts of fun, while others were struggling, aching to, trudging along as troupers... with little to no recognition of such from the vast majority. Just threw me for a loop. I want everyone to be happy, be able to look back on it as an exciting time!
Anywho, so I'm semi-wompy when I finally head out the door. I get in my car, back up to pull out... crunch! Aaron is parked right behind me. Habit, tiredness, dark, and such left me lazy and blinded to typical driving protocols. growl! It looks like it was entirely minimal for all, I just pray the Griffin adults feel/see it the same way...
