This afternoon we took A to her cousin's third birthday party. My sister-in-law wisely came to the conclusion that having a birthday party at your house every year is for the birds. The cooking, the cleaning, the unruly relatives, etc. So, she booked it in a bowling alley. The bowling alley was conveniently located in 1963. Don't get me wrong - I love hanging out in unpretentious joints that just barely meet health codes. We had a blast!
You gotta check out the decor, though.
Apparently this is the last place in the free world that allows smoking indoors. I didn't know which I found more aesthetically pleasing - the groovy stars or the soggy cigarette butt.
I wish I knew what the original ashtray looked like. I'm betting it was fab-u-lous.
Molded white and orange plastic seats? Check!
This baffled and frightened me most of all. No, the photo is not upside down. There was indeed a large custodial bucket strapped into the ceiling.
The only person at the party who knew how to keep score was my sister-in-law's grandma. After I scored a 72 in the first game, I suggested to her that she really did not need to do any more math for me.
Molded white and orange plastic seats? Check!
This baffled and frightened me most of all. No, the photo is not upside down. There was indeed a large custodial bucket strapped into the ceiling.
The only person at the party who knew how to keep score was my sister-in-law's grandma. After I scored a 72 in the first game, I suggested to her that she really did not need to do any more math for me.
The party was a lot of fun. As you can see from the photo above, our niece enjoyed the princess music set I bought for her. The set also included castanets, maracas, a tambourine, cymbals, and a trumpet. Why would I do this to my sister-in-law, you ask? Well, she started it. She threw down the gauntlet when she bought my kid a make-up set for Christmas. It contained lipstick, eye shadow, and nail polish (the real stuff - not "pretend" make-up). My daughter was delighted, of course. I tightened my jaw a bit. "I just want to be the fun auntie!" said my sister-in-law.
"Oh, you're a barrel of laughs, alright," I told her.
And this, my friends, is why I also included a set of Plah-Doh in the gift bag today. Oh, and a robotic kitty who meows. I think you'll agree that this was well-played on my part. My kid's birthday is coming up on May 3rd and I have a feeling we'll be receiving something that involves glitter and paint and possibly an ant farm. I am planning to counter with a live puppy.
