A Righteous Shindig

Wow. You turn another year older, and it gives everyone an excuse to party. You get to enjoy wonderful cards, gifts, and food. And yet, all I really did was exist for another year. It appears that most the people in my life are so surprised by that (knowing my propensity to unintentionally harm myself when attempting simple household chores) that they decided to celebrate it. And so they throw a party.

Honestly, I think birthdays should take special consideration for mothers. Truthfully, and I know this is hard to believe, my mom put in almost all the work to get me enrolled in this birthday thing. I just sorta showed up then too. And despite my mother's hard work, I think I stole the show that day too. Something like "I was in labor with you for 24 hours!", rings in my head still when I leave my socks on the floor.

So, I had a three day birthday this year. That's the way to do them right. It started off with a Hawaiian themed Buffalo Wild Wings excursion with our fellow small groupers. We ate, drank, were merry, and played trivia. As the night wore on, the trivia must have gotten harder, because we did not do quite as well. Here are some of the smiling faces.

Yay us!

This is what Mike & Denise look like all the time. Seriously....
They bring their own party favors.

Talking to Ben & Leah is like alternating tv channels between an ESPN sportscast and Rachel Ray.

Ben & Amy are the subdued wild ones in the group. They have boring jobs like me, but have extreme hobbies and take exotic vacations. If there was a couple that I expected to be moonlighting as secret agents, it would be them.


Chad & Becky are the kind midwesterners that you hear about in the brochures about Missouri. Them is good people people.


Mike & Ashley get funnier as the night goes on because they start to keep score in almost anything. Pretty soon they are sabotaging one another when the other isn't looking in order to win.

And now, the zoo... Sarah and I met up with Karl and Jean in Topeka on Saturday. They (Jean) made a picnic lunch for everyone. We had a wonderful variety of salads, veggies, and pita. Do they know me or what? I showed up to unwrap presents and did my job with the skill of a 27-year veteran. We threw Frisbee well enough that no one was permanently injured. I had to jump a fence and Jean sacrificed her body to catch one. But we are all still here and in one piece, which is the sign of a successful Frisbee/Zoo outing. We had a beautiful day together, though we may have been the only adults there without a stream of screaming youngins behind us. Here are some pics of the big day.

Thanks everyone for a wonderful birthday!