Pickled Easter

For the second year in a row, Pickle's parents have invited me over to spend Easter with their family. And for the second year in a row, it was awesome. Church was good, food was delicious, Pickle's parents even had tulips and chocolate for me as an Easter gift. Yay!

This year, Sassy joined us and Griffith and Cukie were there, as well, and much discussion was had around their pending nuptials. And it became more and more clear that Cukie has never had friends get married. Bless her heart, she's just a little clueless about wedding traditions and fun. Her mom is throwing her a shower (which is inappropriate) and she has refused invitations from the groom's family and friends for various showers and celebrations. But Easter was fun, as she and Griffith talked about their plans and opened a few early-arriving gifts.

Between lunch and dessert, Pickle's mom brought out a box of table talk cards and we began playing random conversation games and learned that my dream car would include a driver and that Pickle's husband has a new favorite (crude noise) iPhone app. At some point, show tunes and movie quotes broke out and I KNEW that I was in the presence of a good family when we all started quoting Steel Magnolias. (This is why Pickle and I are friends).

On the way home, Pickle and Sassy and I discussed her concerns about her new sister-in-law-to-be and why she's having a hard time embracing it. So we discuss the details, including the awful bridesmaid dresses, the awkward comments that have been made and the way Griffith has been acting different since meeting Cukie. Pickle is learning to accept it, if by no other way than discussing her concerns with girlfriends. A little catty, maybe...but it's what we do.

All in all, Easter was lovely. A little cold and rainy (definitely no floral dress and sandals) but lovely.

Old, Older, Oldest

Last week was my birthday. I turned another year older.

I loved my birthday this year. It was on Friday the 13th (which is awesome) and I got to go to work! (I love going to work on my birthday...everyone has to be nice to me!)

PattyCake wrangled a fun crew (Pickle and G-Funk and Shanks) for a birthday lunch, because she said "no one should have to eat Lean Cuisine on her birthday." We headed to Collins Pub, where my steak sandwich was fantastic, both glasses of wine were delicious and the waitress brought us a birthday dessert.

Back at the office, my Big Purple Cup was returned to me, I was toasted at our "staff meeting" and after a couple glasses of wine, PattyCake and I headed out. We got on a bus to go to my birthday party, missed our stop but managed to find our way home from wherever we got off the bus.

After changing into a Sparkly Sweater Dress, I headed to the Nabob, where Rosie, Frannie, Bullwinkle, Fritha, Conan and Pie were all waiting with gifts. I got a tape measure, a flask, a Big Fat Llama and cupcakes. Yay!

Over the course of the evening, we had a great time just mingling with each other and the other fantastic friends who joined us: Jazz Hands, Sigma, Traskinator, FrankieWayne, Pickle and Skater among others.

And since we're not spring chickens anymore, we headed home around 11:30pm and got a good night's sleep.

2009 birthday cupcake count: 9 (major improvement over 2008)

All in all, an EXCELLENT birthday.