we got a pretty early start, having had allie spend the night before, so we were up and ready to go around 9am. the sky was cloudy, and it was threatening rain. figuring it was best to run errands first, we headed up to lynnwood to check out the luau supplies at JoAnn's which were supposed to be on sale... but they weren't. oh well.
next we headed to Display & Costume, to pick up 6 brightly colored, helium-filled balloons. and we came home with 6 brightly colored, helium-filled balloons, one pineapple shaped candle, one 2 1/2 inch tall pink flamingo, with feathers and everything. as we left the store, the rain poured.
nikki planned to meet us around noon, so she could help with some of the setup and food prep, but messaged me early in the morning to let me know that her car wouldn't start... she was finally able to arrange for a ride from matt's parents, and would see us at three.
we thought we were doing pretty well, though, and figured that the sky would clear up - or at least stop raining - by the time the 3pm party rolled around... so, we settled in to assemble favor bags, and put together the handmade paper napkin rings (a la moi). optimism be damned, we realized that we were severely short on sets of plastic silverware, and that my brilliant idea of hawaiian name tags wasn't going to work, because the labels weren't sticky enough.
*sigh*. back to the store. we bought extra condiments, and all of the above, to ensure we weren't forgetting anything... finally, we were home. and the rain kept coming.
we finished the house cleaning, mopping the floors and dusting, and other last minute tidying, and at 2:30pm, the rain was coming down... so, we decided that the party would have to take place indoors. i sulked. what good is a luau if you can't even have it outdoors? i set up decorations, fighting back tears... hung the lanterns along the entry of the dining room, planted two pink flamingos in my lawn, and my "luau beach" sign, in the pouring rain. i built a centerpiece, and dressed the table, and decided to make the best of it. i asked matt to help by setting up the tiki torches outside the front walkway, in the flower beds, and he did - lighting them right before 3pm, so we could have that cool tiki effect as our guests walked up to the house...
{my party signage}
still decorating, about 10 minutes later, i thought the torches smelled kind of strong, so i headed out to check on them, only to find two of my three torches completely engulfed in flames, black smoke towering from the top of each. i ran inside, yelled for matt, and somehow managed to communicate my problem. not wasting a second, i headed for the kitchen where i knew there was a (rather old) fire extinguisher under the sink... the lesson my dad taught me when i was six ran through my head... pull the pin, aim at the base. pull the pin, aim at the base. as i got out the door, i yanked the pin and threw it aside. by then, matt had gotten one of the torches onto the cement walkway, trying to preserve my mother's tree, planted among the bulbs. i headed for that one first. when i was convinced that it was extinguished, i aimed for the torch still standing, leaving a nice flame-retardant yellow chalk mark on the front siding of the house. quite amazed at the events that had just taken place, i stood shaking, as matt wrapped his arms around me...
{my friend and yours, the fire extinguisher that saved the day. or at least, the house.}
matt told me not to worry about it, and that he'd clean it up, so i headed in to wash up and help allie with the food. just after i recovered, the phone rang - matt's mom was calling to tell us they'd be at least a half hour late. thank goodness, because i was *not* ready for company!
the house was pretty well ready for a party, but the last painful part of holding the party indoors was the futon. weeks ago, matt had plopped down onto the futon, causing one end to splinter and break. we, then, had to choose whether to keep it in the up- or down-right position, and matt then used his supreme powers of duct-taping to hold the futon together, in the down-right position. but i wanted the couch *up* for the party. so, he pulled out his duct tape and utility knife and began to cut away the old tape. then, he forced the couch into position, and taped it up again... it would do.
as people began to arrive, i was only more on edge. i was tired, worn out, and didn't feel like having a party. but i didn't have a choice now, so i tried my best to be social. matt's grandparents told matt's mom at the last minute that they weren't going to be able to make it, and some friends of ours called to say they'd be there around 4, but never showed. despite that, and the other events of the day, the party went relatively well, and i was finally able to relax.
{the birthday boy and his mother}
{the birthday boy and his cake}
after dinner, presents and cake, and of course, the pathetic end of the mariner's game, our guests started to pack up and depart, until matt, allie, matt's uncle scott, aunt erica, cousin andrew and myself were all that was left. i wasted no time, breaking out the "adult" drinks that we'd kept in the fridge, now that matt's parents were gone. i was tired, but in good, low-pressure company, so we socialized.
that not being enough excitement for one day, matt and allie were sitting on the couch and i plopped (quite literally) between them, causing the last functional part of the futon to splinter, like the first, and break. (that does wonders for one's body image problems, let me tell you...) now the couch was more of a trench. i laughed at our bad day, and groaned at the thought of what it would cost to replace the futon. but the party was over. we cleaned up, we drank more, we played games. disaster? maybe not. success? nope, i wouldn't call it that either.
either way, it was fun. sorta. but i'm glad it's over.
happy birthday, honey. fire and all.
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