Birthday barbecue

It was my birthday on Friday, and on Saturday Sofia and I hosted a small barbecue to celebrate my birthday (36th) and Sofia's half-birthday (four-and-a-"halfth"). Nothing fancy, mind you, although in typical Vanderpool fashion I over-thought things and bought WAY too many provisions. I ended up buying enough food for three barbecues (and enough drinks for about ten), but at least part of the blame has to be laid on Costco's ample shoulders. It's impossible to go in there and NOT buy too much stuff. Especially when, like me, your objective is to get a variety of items for discerning guests.  So instead of buying a six-pack of orange soda for  people who may not want Coke or Sprite, I now have an entire flat of Sunkist. And ginger ale. Actually, my favorite Costco purchase from this weekend might have been the case of Coke I bought in glass bottles, made with real cane sugar instead of cane syrup. I bought them as kind of a novelty, but they were by far the most popular (non-alcoholic) beverage at the party. They taste so much better than the canned corn syrup stuff, and there's something almost patriotic about drinking a Coke from a glass bottle at a barbecue. I felt like I was in a commercial every time I took a swig from one. 

As for the party itself, I think that everyone had a pretty good time. The weather was perfect, the liquor was flowing and the kids were running around the yard non-stop. The monster playset in the backyard was finally used for its intended purpose of entertaining more than a dozen children at a time; I swear, there are municipalities that don't have a playset that large, so it's almost sad when there are only a couple of kids playing on it. My margaritas were a big hit with the parents, which is good because I still have three handles of tequila that I need to use and now I have ample confirmation that people will drink it. Also, if anyone wants a pound of birthday cake with white chocolate buttercream frosting, I think I can hook you up, too.

All told, it was really nice to host some great friends, and the evening was made even better when I went back into the house after the party was over and realized that those same friends had cleaned everything up for me. It was the most incredibly thoughtful gesture, and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. I'm seriously tempted to invite everyone over next weekend for a Mexican-themed vacuuming party....

I didn't take any pictures, but I know that people had their cameras going at different times in the evening. Once I get a hold of some shots, I'll post them. Thanks again to everyone who was able to make it, and a special thanks to all those who left my kitchen even cleaner than it was before I started prepping for the party!