T Minus...........

20.5 hours and counting until (30) 7-8 year olds invade my neighborhood pool for a birthday party.

Pirate themed of course. "It's Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow" for a joint birthday party with my youngest son and his good friend.

Am I insane? Why yes!!! Thank you for asking...have a mint on your way out.

At this point I am in full party lock down mode. I have vague urges prompting me to crawl into some cool, dark place and rock myself to sleep. And I'm going to wrap myself in my nice cozy Excel Spreadsheet that has all the attendees names, cell phones and lunch orders.

I would zone out, but the treasure chest cake still needs to be iced.

Why? Why am I doing this???

Because last time this year, only 2 of my son's friends came and his co host buddy?? 15 of his friends showed up.

C was crushed. Not about the presents, but about the friends.
"Why didn't they come?"

And I explained the whole "It's summer and everyone is on vacation and you really do have LOTS of friends" (which he does....he has a more active social schedule in a month than I do in a year)

So I invited ALL his friends this year. Scouts, class, baseball, outside class friends.

Just EVER SO slightly more than last year and almost EVERYONE is coming.

This year, NO ONE is out of town.

NO ONE

help

I've already told him that he can't keep all those presents. It's just insane and not right. He suggested the community action center. Good boy, good choice.

And the morning after the party, I pack my two boys in Big Red, drive to a half way point in FL, give them to my rents for two weeks and drive back.

And?

WHAT?

You think I have a plan for what follows?

I have no plans other than return, collapse, wake up, go to work and for the first time in almost 10 years, NOT have a plan for the rest of the day.

I may sink, I may swim, my bets are on floundering, lots of floundering.

I'll report back sometime next week.

If you don't hear from me in a week...send out an advance party and bring a stretcher.

YoHoHo...where's the bottle of rum???

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Disclaimer, lest you all think I ENJOY inflicting pain on myself.

I ENJOY throwing a good party more. I love seeing folks of all ages smiling and hanging and laughing and getting outside themselves.

At the end of the day? I will be wiped, cause it is FREAKIN hot here in GA and the blanket is not a spreadsheet but humidity.

BUT, I will also have had a rockin good time with all the other adults at the party and my kids and their friends will have a memory of a time when life was good and simple and sweet.

Cause really in the end...it's just burgers and cake and friends swimming in the pool

And THAT is good stuff