Happy Birthday to Lizzie! Ellen's daughter turns fifteen today - hard to believe! So in the same way that I had a crowd of people at my place yesterday, Ellen is having a houseful of people tonight. Wait, no - she's having a houseful of fifteen year old girls.

[I definitely had the easier crowd.]

What a great party, if I do say so myself. I left a little early from work, picked up a rental car and went to the grocery store to pick up last minute stuff, especially nine bags of ice. Went home and made the last three dishes that were needed, iced down the beer and wine, a frantic ran to the market to pick up a head of garlic that I forgot, and made my last minute checks.

I decided to put out a string of lights on the balcony [although it ended up being too hot to be outside]. As I started to put them up, I heard an odd noise from the fish pond. I went over and found my biggest koi flopping around amongst the planters. After several slimy attempts, I managed to grab him by his tail and fling him back into the pond. Gads. If he really wanted to commit suicide, his luck was poor - if I hadn't been having the party I wouldn't have gone outside, and he would have succeeded. If all he wanted was attention, well it worked.

[Although I sent him to bed with no supper.]

Everyone started arriving around 6:30 or so. It was great to see so many of our old Sedgwick Re crowd. Andrew made "Pimm's Cups" - a British drink made with Pimm's, ginger ale, oranges, cucumber and mint. For the less adventurous, we also had beer and a nice Italian white wine - 2001 Spadafora Alcamo. Very dry and crisp - perfect for a hot summer evening.

I made a selection of tapas food for dinner - pork kebabs, cold sliced roast beef, marinated vidalia onions, garlic shrimp, pigeon peas and rice, salad - with a lemon cake for dessert. We all chipped in and got gift certificates for Andrew and Ellen: one from Victoria's Secret and one from Home Depot. It was really fun to see everyone and laugh and talk and catch up on things.

Began the process of cleaning up last night, so it wasn't TOO bad this morning. Just have to figure out what to do with the case of beer left over. I cleaned out the kitty box - Suki has to use shredded newspaper for a week of so until her paws heal.

Speaking of which . . . it is time to go pick her up! Hope she's not mad at me. Then it's off to THE HOUSE to listen to Richard and Oscar bicker and point fingers.

[Maybe I should get them declawed too.]

Quote du jour:

"Excuse the mess but we live here."

-- Roseanne Barr (1952 - ____) US actress, comedian

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