The aftermath of party weekend

My actual birthday - on Friday - was nice and low-key. Stephanie took me to lunch, and Bobby got me a completely awesome necklace featuring an anatomical heart made of colored concrete. He and I had dinner at Bamboo Sushi with Jonathan and Tara. Conor had to work late and couldn't make it. We went to the Goodfoot after dinner, and then Bobby and Jonathan and I went off to Devil's Point for the remainder of the evening. Came home and played Rock Band with the boys until pretty late, and crashed. Woke up early the next morning to have breakfast with Tara at Broder, but when we arrived, the sign said they weren't opening until 9. Went over to Genie's instead, which ended up being a good thing because there was nothing I needed more than a giant breakfast with scrambled eggs. Bobby inhaled his food unusually fast, and I was a bit confused. Then he didn't want to go to Safeway on our way home. I didn't think much of it, though, and we went home to move some furniture and prepare the house for party guests.

The doorbell rang around 11:30, and Bobby said, "That's for you." I grumbled over to the door, expecting to encounter bible peddlers and tell them to get the hell off my porch. Instead, there was a gentleman holding a small box. "I have a delivery for Caitlin," he said. I took the mystery box inside, and what did I discover?



Who sent me this mysterious half-dozen red velvet cupcakes, you might ask?



None other than my very favorite New Jersey residents. Huge thanks, W and B. You are sneaky. Cupcake Jones cupcakes are hella delicious, and I haven't had one in quite a long time.

The party was scheduled to begin at 8, but Tara came over a bit early to help set up. I had just changed into my party clothes and was still squashing avocados for the guacamole when the doorbell rang, right at 8:00 on the dot. Lorien and Eric strolled in the door, followed by our neighbors Dennis and Jen. Several other folks followed, and the party quickly took off. We had many snacks available:



Including an awesome German chocolate cake made by Marissa:



A caramel cheesecake made by Michelle:



And devil's food cupcakes made by the folks nextdoor:



Bobby rigged a mirrorball to the ceiling:



And people danced:



I stuck some candles in my red velvet cake:



And tried (and failed) to stealthily blow them out before people sang:



Folks chatted:



My friend Kizzy, from high school, was in town visiting her husband (they're in different cities due to job stuff), and she was kind enough to drop by:



There was a piñata in the garage due to pouring rain outside:





And soon the living room was sparsely populated by a few remaining guests:



Chris, the last partygoer, got on his bike to go home around 2:15, and we left most of the mess to be dealt with this morning. However, since we were partying with grownups, there wasn't much mess to complain about:



The folks who dig through our recycling bins each week will be pleased at the bounty:



I began my twenty-eighth year with a giant smile, surrounded by the world's most wonderful friends. Who could ask for anything more?

The rest of the evening's photos can be found Here.