Hannah's birthday, birthday presents, present moment....

Hannah Grace Dede had a fabulous 6th birthday party. At the OTHER bowling alley in town, Casino Lanes, we gathered on Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours of kindergarten, 9th grade, Uncle Chris, Grandma Maymay (sp?) and Grandpa Jerry, and father and son bowling. There were many parent and grandparent onlookers as well. I did not realize (I am SO out of touch with the times sometimes) that you don't have to lift a finger to keep score in bowling any more. It is all done by the computer. Well, I remember back in the days of taking a hundred high school kids bowling during my PE classes, and the scorekeeping was as challenging as throwing the darn ball down the alley! So many discussions and arguments about scoring took time, so it took a lot of time to actually bowl a game. Well now, you just throw the ball down twice and go relax til it is your turn again! I didn't know...

AFTER bowling a game, the partyers went to the party area for Hannah Montana cake. Next came opening presents, and lastly, lining up to take a swing at the pinata filled with all kinds of goodies. There was a mom-supervised scramble for the goods when some little girl finally broke it open, and all the participants had a party bag full of favors to take home. One quote to note: as I took what I thought was a sneak picture with my telephoto lense of Tony standing in wait with the pinata, he yelled to me, "I believe in speaking softly and carrying a big pinata!" (Reference Teddy Roosevelt, please.)

Three sets of grandparents (lucky kids, those Dede children) helped Tony and Carrie clean up and pack up. Then as we were heading out the door, Hannah turned around, in her quiet but concerned manner, to say, "Did you get the presents?" Presents. Check. Happy birthday girl.

I stopped by the Dedes to pick up some leftover party turkey and cheese, rested a bit and relived a few great memories, then headed home to bed. Tucked in by 6PM, I was out until about midnight. I did have a couple of hours with the spirits in the middle of the night, so I downloaded a FEW pictures, (I've got to get this new digital habit under control!), then back to sleep until 6. I love my new air contraption. It is making a difference in my days.

I am going by the Tangerine today to see if I can reserve Sat., Jan. 31, 2009, for a repeat. This time we will celebrate Tony's birthday, which is Jan. 31. He deserves a celebration as much as anybody I know. So put that date on your calendar, provided I get the green light from Tangerine today. I will hire a DJ so Tony can just have fun and visit with everybody.

Speaking of visiting with everybody, the only regret I have that still matters to me this morning is that I didn't get to visit with everybody at the party. But I think there was a lot of visiting between people that didn't involve me, so that is something good to think about. I've got my cards and presents spread out on the kitchen table so Carrie can see them when she comes by. (When you get old, you can't help yourself. You do stuff like that.) I look forward to reading some good new books, enjoying the good smelling stuff, eating the sweet treats, using the gift cards, everything. And I will especially look forward to flying the friendly Southwest skies to see that beautiful little Mexican grandchild sometime down the road!

Now I get psyched for radiation. They give good cookies away in the waiting room at the hospital radiation department. That is becoming a highlight of the whole radiation experience. What kind of cookies will be in the baggies today? I take two for me, and two for Mario. It says you can. "These cookies are provided for radiation patients and their families." Good cookies make everything better, even if the cancer diet says cancer cells love sugar, so don't feed them! Ha! Are you kidding?