February 07, 2010

For my birthday, my friends planned a surprise night out. Well, it WAS a surprise until I put my poor husband on the spot.  “Is there a party in the works??” I asked him. “I can’t handle surprises right now. You need to tell me.”  The manic tone in my voice and wild darting eyes persuaded him to come clean.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy surprises.  I love surprising other people, I just don’t enjoy BEING surprised. Right now, I feel the need to control every aspect of my life where ever possible.

It’s difficult for me to be away from my daughter.  When she was a baby, her medical care was specific and involved, so going out wasn’t an option anyway.  At first I didn’t miss the social aspect of my life.  My husband and I were a team whose sole focus was our family.  I eventually realized however that I was a better person and far better parent when I opened up and let my friends and family back in. 

Our daughter was diagnosed with Epilepsy last spring.  Until recently her seizures seemed to be responding well to medication.  So when my girlfriends suggested a NON SURPRISE birthday dinner out, followed by dancing, I was all for it. I joked that a pack of thirty thirsty cougars were going out on the prowl!  I was looking forward to recapturing a bit of my old self (the going out part, not the cougar bit). 

Last Monday, our little girl had a seizure.  It was short, but it was different from previous ones.  On Thursday she had another in the morning.  We were concerned, but tried not to worry.  She had yet another on Thursday night.  This one was severe and it took a toll on her little body. 

So a birthday night out was not to be.  Instead of tearing up the dance floor in my party pants, I was at home last night in my ripped jeans and t-shirt, getting ready for a quiet night in.  But at 7 pm, ten of my girlfriends arrived at the door.  With a homemade cake (thanks Sarah!) and wine for all, they had come to spend the evening.

When I refer to my friends as “the pack” it’s meant in jest, but it’s rooted in truth. Humans are social animals.  It’s why we entertain and “hang out”.  When one member of the pack is hurting, the rest come to their aid.  They support and heal with their compassion and friendship and copious amounts of potato chips.

So my fortieth birthday wasn’t what I had imagined. 

It was better.  Much, much better.  

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.-- Walter Winchell

Snuggie Wrestling!

Isn’t this party crasher supposed to be in bed?

Not sure why I thought it was okay to lick the cake?

February 04, 2010

It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to.  The thing is, I don’t feel like crying.  Surprised the hell out of me let me tell you.

I was NOT looking forward to turning forty.  It snuck up on me and before I knew what hit me, my thirties were left in the dust.  I can’t say I’m embracing forty with open arms. It’s not so much that I left my youth in the dust, but more the fact that I’m closer to actually becoming...dust.  Gah.

Never mind.  So I’m forty.  Hear me roar (and bitch and moan and cry out from knee and back pain.  Gawd. It’s a challenge being elderly.)

Life was busy last month around my actual birthday, so the “pack” is going out full force this weekend.  I plan on bringing my camera...

Lordy, lordy.  Here is how my favourite drinks have evolved over the decades.  Of course, I’ll spare you from the “sippy cup years” and skip right on to the good stuff.

In my twenties my go-to drink was Amaretto and gingerale - simple and bubbly and a little bit nutty.  You know how dogs and their owners look alike?  Could the same be true about cocktails?

My “night out” drink in the nineties was a Blue Lagoon.  Not a great movie, (though I secretly loved it) but a tasty tropical cocktail.

In my thirties it was all about the martini.  Sex and the City had nothing to do with it (yes, it did.  I wanted to be Carrie Bradshaw or at least have her wardrobe).  Cosmos were great and still are.  They’re yummy, fun and easy.  Again, thinking about that dog/owner analogy...

So now that I’ve entered my forties, what will the defining drink be? Perhaps this delish cocktail which has “blast from the past” elements.

Pink Lagoon
1 oz. Malibu Coconut Rum
1 oz. McGuinness Amaretto Dell' Amorosa
4 oz. cranberry juice
1 ½ oz. pineapple juice
Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake well and pour into a martini glass or into an old fashioned glass over ice.

 Cheers!
~ Party Mummy