A Birthday Party to Remember

A snowstorm the likes of which I've never seen since my family moved to Virginia Beach in 1989. A diamond solitaire earring I received from my husband for our first wedding anniversary- lost somewhere in the snow. A whole roast pig complete with an apple in its mouth- a Filipino tradition. A forgotten candy-filled Hello Kitty pinata. Three outfit changes for the birthday girl. And dedicated guests who braved the inclement weather to celebrate a sweet girl's first birthday. In a nutshell, this was how Grace's birthday party went down.

The night before the big party, I was up until two in the morning making ice cream cone cupcakes. I looked out the window before heading to bed and when I didn't see any of the white stuff that was predicted to fall, I fell asleep to hopes that maybe the weatherman was wrong after all.

But for some reason, I woke up at 4:30 with an uneasy feeling. The window seemed unusually bright for the time of day, and my heart sank when I took a peek through the blinds. My fears were confirmed. The brightness was from the moonlight reflecting on all the snow. Lots and lots of snow.

The next four hours I spent worrying about the weather and wondering if the big bash should be postponed. But after consulting with the grandparents, it was decided the party would go on as planned. We're hardcore around here. Even a blizzard wouldn't stop us from partying.

I knew that for us to get to the party on time, we had a tight schedule to keep, but I had to squeeze in some playtime in the snow for Grace. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but I think she enjoyed herself nonetheless.

Then it was time to clear off the snow from the cars and driveway. I was planning on just letting my brothers handle that job, but we were starting to run really late, so I decided to help out. The experience taught me a couple things- I am definitely not made for hard physical labor and it's probably easier to clear off snow wearing something other than high heels. The drive to the restaurant wasn't any better. I went no more than 10mph the entire time.



Once we got to the restaurant, we quickly decorated and then waited to see who else was as hard core as us. Apparently, there are quite a few. Despite the horrendous weather, Grace had plenty of guests at her party to keep her entertained and happy. She had a blast running around with her friend, Frank, and when it was time for cake, the birthday girl was yawning she was so sleepy. I even got a special treat when Mike called to see how the party was going.



The party continued while the birthday celebrant napped. There was music, dancing, and even karaoke. Only after all the kids left did I remember the pinata that I had filled with 'good' candy- chocolate candy bars and m&m's. At least I remembered to give out the party favors since I got them while we were still in Japan and saved them specifically for this occasion.

In the end, the dreaded snow storm didn't ruin Grace's birthday like I feared, it only made it more memorable.