"Mom, today has been the best day. Thank you so much!" Lindsey told me after the 23 teen-aged guests left our house last night after 11 pm.
Here's the cake I baked. It was a carrot cake with a ton of frosting and sprinkles.
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Guests from left to right included Jessica, Emma, Jill, Emily, (birthday girl Lindsey), McKenzie, Lauren, Jen, Zach, Paul, Kayla, Sierra, and Kathy.
Scott, John-Michael, Julia, Preston, Jared, Ivan, and Jeff also attended. Not pictured are Craig, Hayden, Tom, and Brady.
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"Wilbur" displayed the menu of Pesto Party Squares, Tamale Round About, Tropical Turkey and Spinach Salad, California Wraps, Hawaiian Dip with Fruit Kabobs, Caramel Corn Snack Mix, Birthday Cake and Ice Cream, and Assorted Soft Drinks. I cooked everything except the Tamale Round About and made a last minute change to serve Chili Dogs, which I'm so glad I did, because the kids seemed to really enjoy those. Some of the ones with more gourmet taste-buds liked the other goodies too.
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The first person to arrive took off her shoes, and everyone else continued, even though I didn't care one way or the other. I thought this was a cute image.
Lindsey opened gifts afer everyone left because she told me in advance that she would be too embarrassed to do it with everyone watching her. She got a lot of fantastic gifts and very thoughtful cards that she'll treasure. One gift didn't have a card...who gave her the red sports car (Matchbox) with the Teenage Soup for the Soul books? Lindsey was delighted when Lauren and Brad showed up the day before the party and said they couldn't be here, but wanted to deliver her the cheerful, bright flowers. I thought that was so sweet of them to do.
Lauren striking her usual pose.
Emma gave a Grammy-winning performance during the birthday song. (In her mind, at least.) It was pretty silly, but charmingly Emma.
Are you kidding me? A triathlon and I have never belonged in the same sentence. It must have been time for something new! (The "BEFORE" race shot, with goggles and swim cap in hand.) What an unforgettable week this was! I actually DID enter my first triathlon, with the goal of simply finishing it. Take note of the emphasis on the word FIRST, because I loved it so much, that you can guarantee that there will be more. It was a blast. Seriously. My friends Lorraine and Robin had trained and signed up to do the event, which was two days ago, on Saturday. Three days beforehand, I heard about it and basically had a spontaneous urge to join them, so I registered. The only partial preparation ahead of time that I had been doing was cycling in the neighborhood here and there on my mountain bike with some other friends. And doing some micro-laps in our backyard pool. Our friend, Dave, was also there. The three of us women appreciated Dave's encouragement and support, as he's ...
Comments
What a par-tay Kelly!!!!!! Holy cow, you throw the best parties. Lindsey is sooooooo lucky to have such an awesome mom like you. I'm bowing down to you right now. What a special day and what a fun night. Please give her birthday hugs for me. Sweet 16 is the best! Wish I was 16 for the day and could crash a fun party like that with such yummy food. Glad it was a success :)
Kelly, will you make me that cake for my birthday? It looked SO good!!