A little Pink, a BIGGG Party!!!!

It has begun-- the decade of my thirties! And yesterday was the most perfect birthday I could have asked for. The day began with Joe and I going to IHOP and indulging in yummy french toast with strawberries, a tall glass of orange juice, and other various breakfast foods. He then went one way, to finish getting a present for me, and I went the other way-- to my sis-in-law's spa to get my blonde streaks painted PINK!!! (who says you have to get old and boring at 30?)

This pink-hair thing has been something I have wanted to do for a couple of summers now, and I thought turning 30 would be a fun time to finally do it... since it is summer anyway, and I don't have to be a professional for another month or so.

After the hair appointment, Mary took some "birthday photos" of me and made sure to get that hair documented for my posterity before it all fades back to blonde. We also took a few that feature my little baby belly, which at 19 weeks today, is definitely there!

Next stop for my day was to the mall to meet up with my sister Beckie, Kyle, and their friends Dani and Kathy, who had come to St. Louis early to hit some of the "big city" stores like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. We hung out for a little bit, and then I left them to keep treasure hunting while I went home for a rest and to get prepared for the big party!

All you friends out there who don't live here, how I WISH you could have been at this party. My goal for last night was not to relax, but to have BIG FUN!!!! Joe and I had been to two "Trivia Nights" this past year and fell in LOVE with them, so for my big 3-0, we had designed and planned out one of our own. We have the whole Mason Lodge at our disposal, so we took advantage of it. We set up the dining room/ballroom up for groups to have their own table, complete with paper and crayons for coloring (ala Macaroni Grill style). We threw random party favors on the tables (beaded necklaces, party blowers, slide whistles, M&Ms), prepared a side table with tin tubs of ice and bottled sodas (it gets hot in our Lodge, so we wanted to keep the cold drinks coming), and everyone who came brought chips, dips, fruit, appetizers, and other snacks. My amazing sis-in-law took charge of decorating as a birthday gift to me and brought no less than SEVENTY helium-filled balloons in pink, orange and yellow, the colors of the night. She spent over an hour getting streamers up, setting tables, and placing balloons everywhere, so that it looked like a REAL party.


By the time the party really got started, we had about 25 guests in five teams, and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves as we began the trivia game. There were ten rounds of ten questions, and each team filled out their round as a group and submitted them at the end of each round for grading. In between each round, music played and people refilled their plates and talked and laughed. Some of the trivia rounds included, "I Heart the 80's", "Mrs. Southerland's English Class", "White and Nerdy", "The Year 1977", to name a few. The last round was a sing-along to fun/funny songs, with the music cutting out at key parts for the teams to fill in the blanks. We had the whole room singing along to "Dancing Queen", "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)", "Bohemian Rhapsody", and on and on.... it really ended the party with a bang.

Honestly, though it wasn't relaxing, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Joe and I are still riding high from our great party success. I feel so loved and supported and was so tickled to see so many great people take the time to come celebrate with me.

Okay... to end this lengthy entry, here is one of the rounds of trivia from last night. See how you do! (feel free to answer in the comments section, if you dare!)

Round Six: I Heart the 80’s

1. On The Cosby Show, what were Cliff and Clair’s occupations?
2. What TV show was about an ex-model and a private detective who ran the “Blue Moon Detective Agency”?
3. What show could you see Orco, Teela, Man-at-Arms, Cringer and the Sorceress on?
4. Who works and plays in a cake made of strawberries?
5. If you were to beg your mom for a pair of “Gellies/Jellys”, what would you be asking for?
6. What are “jams”?
7. In the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, what is the name of Data’s pet cat?
8. Even though the pirate ship sailed away in Goonies, how do the kids still end up saving the neighborhood?
9. What serene mythical creature captured the hearts of nearly every little girl in the 1980’s, as seen by the millions of stickers, posters, folders, t-shirts, toys, and other treasures that bore its likeness?
10. What TV show has this theme song? "Believe it or not, I'm walkin' on air, I never thought I could feel so free.... Flying away on a wing and a prayer, who can it be? Believe it or not, it's just me!"
    
11.