Birthday brunch buffet

Yesterday was our good friend Steven's 50th birthday.  His partner Thad planned a surprise birthday brunch at a local restaurant.  Steven was told that he was meeting Spouse & me and his old friends Jon & Carol Ann for brunch, but in reality there were more than 20 other friends and family members there.

Thad created 'loot bags' for all the guests to take home, seen on the table in the photo below. 

Loot bags on the table

They contained snacks and candies that are favorites of Steven, like Rolos, Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, Slim Jims, and more.

A magenta and black zebra print birthday hat was waiting for Steven, and I was glad he wore the hat for almost the entire party.

Steven with his daughters at his side

Since the brunch buffet included a variety of desserts, there was no obligatory birthday cake.  Instead Thad selected a piece of cake from the buffet and added the 5 and 0 candles to it.  We all sang "Happy birthday".

After we'd all stuffed ourselves from the amazing brunch buffet, Steven posed for some photos with his friends and family.  Below on the left is his longtime friend John, and Spouse and Joe P on the right.  I referred to them as the Four Paisanos!

Four Paisanos

Below are Steven with 2 of his sisters and 1 sister's husband as well as Thad and his sister Robin.

Brothers and Sisters

Steven & Thad with their daughters.

The food was amazing (much better than I expected from a buffet) and everyone had a great time.

Happy 50th birthday to my good friend!!

Halloween comes early here

Since Halloween is this coming Fri, I would think that most bars and clubs would have their big Halloween parties on Fri or Sat night.  Glad I did a little research and found the contrary: this past Sat was the big night.  Maybe this was done to coincide with the increasingly popular Sea Witch Festival which took place this past weekend.

Spouse & I went to dinner Sat evening with Steven & Thad and Joe P, and then we headed over to the Blue Moon.  They "go all out" every year for Halloween, including a big costume party.  None of us were in costume but we figured we'd go anyway to see the clever, creative, and funny costumes of those who were (obviously) more into it than we were.  It was fun and we stayed for about an hour.

On Sun we met Steven & Thad, Robin, and Joe P for breakfast at the Crystal, and then tried on the costumes Spouse had purchased for Marvin & Walter.  I was a little surprised they kept them on, as I remember last year Marvin repeatedly pulled off the Santa hat we'd put on him.

Trying on their costumes at home

Once we had both of our hot dogs in their carriers we headed to the Sea Witch Festival's Costume Dog Parade where we met up with Steven & Thad, Robin, and Joe P.  It had probably been 10 or more years since we'd been to this, and I can't imagine why.  It was a blast!!  There were likely over 100 dogs in costumes, many of which were being walked or pushed in baby carriages or pulled in wagons or floats by their owners.  We didn't enter our guys in the parade as we didn't know how they'd react to being around so many dogs, but we stood along the parade route and enjoyed the show.  Of course Walter drew a lot of attention both before and after the parade as everyone commented on his size (3.5 lbs) and his overwhelming adorableness.  Being there took a lot out of both dogs (sensory overload anyone?) and both fell asleep in their carriers on the 15 minute drive back home. 

Joe P gets lots of puppy kisses from Walter

Lovely weekend recap

Sat was a work day for me, but I did something a bit unusual:  I hosted a public open house.  My team doesn't do a lot of open houses because in this area they are not effective in selling homes.  They are often attended only by nosey neighbors rather than home buyers.  Serious buyers almost always work with an agent.  But I agreed to do this open house for my client.  He bought this house which was in very bad condition, completely remodeled it, and is now selling it.  Unfortunately the open house was very poorly attended.

My client's house for sale

That evening I met up with Vic & Mike and our mutual friend Kevin and his new boyfriend Scott for dinner at Saketumi.  I hadn't seen Kevin since sometime before we moved from VA in Jan 2007 so it was great to reconnect.  Everyone enjoyed their dinners and the conversation.

Vic's lobster dinner

Although I was not on the schedule to perform in that night's Legends show, I received a call on Fri asking if I could fill in for someone who had a family emergency.  Of course I said yes.  So after dinner with the guys, I went to the Blue Moon to become Neil Sedaka.

My version of Neil Sedaka

Sun I met Steven for breakfast at the Crystal.  Thad went to yoga, Joe P had brunch plans with a visiting friend, and Spouse stayed home to make potato salad.  After breakfast Spouse & I went to a small car show where we ran into Rick & Nick.  

A rare AMC Ambassador

Later we went to Steven & Thad's for a BBQ celebrating the birthdays of 1 of the Bobs, Joe P, and Jack, and the retirement of Robin.  As usual, we brought Spouse's legendary potato salad.  The weather was absolutely stunning, about 80 degrees, low humidity, and a nice breeze.  

Making a wish!

 It was the perfect way to end the weekend!

Weekend

I wasn't scheduled for office duty on Sat or Sun, so I was kind of "off" from work, except that I had to go into the office and meet a client who was signing an offer which I had to upload to finicky website, then meet another client to let them show their visiting parents the home they are buying.  So I was working from 1-4pm on my "off" day.  Other than that Spouse & I didn't do much on Sat, honestly.  Spouse was feeling kind of lazy and didn't feel like doing anything I suggested.  We did have dinner at Dos Locos with Steven & Thad, Robin, Alisha & Jack, and 1 of the Bobs.  I tried the spicy pork tomatillo burrito and loved it!  Why had I never tried it before?  Its my new favorite item there.  I also had a jalepeno margarita which was muy sabroso.  Afterward we went to Steven & Thad's house for dessert and saw that they had gotten new living room furniture!  Spouse & I both really liked the colors and style.

Not our actual garage

Sun Spouse & I had coffee/breakfast and then decided to be productive.  I had been wanting to clean out and organize the garage for several months but it had been too cold or I'd been too busy.  It was a nice day (close to 60 degrees) so we got started.  I acquiesced to Spouse's insistence that I throw away the pile of odds and ends that didn't sell at my yard sale 3 years ago.  I'd been saving them for the next yard sale, but decided to "just be done" with the stuff and tossed them into the trash can.  There was nothing of any real value; just stuff that I thought might fetch a dollar at a yard sale.  I also organized the salvaged construction materials from when the side porch was removed and the garage addition built. I have a project in mind that will utilize some of the materials and just can't bear to throw away good wood.  I will offer the remnants to my neighbors and handymen I know.  Now that the materials are organized and stacked, they take up less space and I know exactly what's there.  I also organized the stuff so that all the Christmas stuff is together on 1 side of the garage and all the construction stuff is on the opposite side.  I swept the garage and threw away the cardboard boxes that lay on the garage floor (absorbing Big Ella's drips) and replaced them with new boxes.  It didn't take that long and I feel so much better about the organization of the stuff.  Now I know that if I need the pruning shears or a hammer, I will be able to find them.  After completing the task I learned that April is National Garage Organization Month!!  Leave it to ME to be on-trend.

Sun I also received a response from a potential buyer via email, wanting to see a home on Sun afternoon, so I cleaned up and met them for a showing.  They were very nice; looking for a vacation home since they are outgrowing their vacation travel trailer.

When I got home Spouse & I decided to take Marvin for a walk on the boardwalk.  It was rather warm (again in the 60s) but turned out to be rather windy on the boardwalk so we still needed jackets.  Marvin seemed to really enjoy the walk and the exposure to different people, dogs, and smells.  We stopped at Lowes on the way home to walk through their garden center.  We are planning to freshen up our yard for Spring and wanted to see if there were any unusual/interesting low-maintenance plants on sale.  We left empty-handed.

That evening we went to Steven & Thad's for pizza. Our friend Michael was there, and we enjoyed teasing him about his new long-distance boyfriend's 1st visit here in a few weeks.  He says he's not letting him anywhere NEAR us!  For dessert we ate what was left over from the night before.

4th of July highlights

My office was closed yesterday for July 4th but I still "worked" most of the day anyway, just not on real estate.  I cleaned off all the screened porch furniture and cushions, swept the porch, put all the furniture back in place, and gave the wrought iron patio set a fresh coat of white paint.  While I was still hot and sweaty I went ahead and pulled some weeds from the flower beds and watered Spouse's fancy red hydrangeas (which haven't bloomed yet).  Once inside the cool air conditioned house I put away lots of odds and ends, vacuumed the main level and cleaned the kitchen.  All this in preparation for hosting a July 4th cook-out.

Around 4pm Steven & Thad, Joe P, one of the Bobs, Robin & Bill came over.  I decided not to drive Big Ella in the Doo Dah parade because it was just too hot.  I was afraid the extreme heat might cause her to overheat, so we all walked over to the parade route and watched parade instead.  Then everyone can back to the house for the cook-out but we ate indoors.  All that work to clean the porch and repaint the dining set and we ate inside!  But the food was tasty and we had a good time.  Later we rode down to the beach to watch the "volunteer" fireworks.  These fireworks are not paid for or sponsored by the City; they are paid for and set off by private citizens or "volunteers" and they're great!  For more than 90 minutes we were delighted and entertained by fireworks directly in front of us, to our left, to our right, and even across the bay.  It was a fun display.

 

Today I'm off because its my regular day off and we're going to the beach with Steven & Thad and Jason & Kevin.  Its supposed to be another scorcher but at least we'll be at the beach and can cool off in the ocean.

Weekend highlights

Since I had an appointment for a 2nd showing of a house at noon on Sat, Spouse & I went to the car show when it started at 10am. The weather was very chilly and overcast. Unlike past years when everyone was in shorts and t-shirts, this day they had on jeans and jackets. We walked around and admired the lovely cars and chatted with a few friends we met along the way. This year's theme was "In the lap of luxury" so many of the club members with multiple cars brought their most luxurious models. There must have been a dozen Cadillacs which delighted me immensely, a few Lincolns, and even a 1960 Rolls Royce. We left at 11:30 as it began to rain, so I could drop Spouse off at home and then meet my client at the house. I felt bad for the guys at the car show.

My client brought her architect brother along for the 2nd showing to give her ideas. She liked the home's size and location a lot, but its style was a bit too modern. Her brother and I both had some great ideas to make the home feel more cottagy. She promised to call me later that afternoon with her decision. I had a good feeling!

My plan was to pick up Spouse after the house showing and go to DE Pride, but it was raining pretty steadily by then. Since the entire event is outdoors, we thought that if we waited for a while the rain might pass on and we could go to Pride later when the entertainment was scheduled. So we met up with Steven and Alisha & Jack for lunch, then hung out at home for a while. I played a few turns of WWF and tidied up the house a bit while Spouse took a nap. My client called to say they wanted to write an offer on the house I'd shown her twice so I met them at the office to prepare the offer. By the time we finished it was 5:00 and it was still raining so we gave up on attending DE Pride and seeing Taylor Dayne perform. That night we went to our friend Doug's surprise birthday party at their friend's house. They had great food and we had a good time.

I was supposed to work on Sun but my colleague asked me to switch Sundays with him so he could be off next Sun. This gave me an entire weekend off (with the exception of the showing and the offer writing). Our friends Koset & Jim were in town and texted me so we met them for breakfast. Afterward they invited us to their house since we'd not been there before and we talked until noon. I hoped the weather would clear up so we could go to the beach in the afternoon but it was cool and overcast instead. Again we relaxed at home for a while until it was time to have dinner at Steven & Thad's. Thad's mother was visiting so they invited us and Robin and Joe P over for dinner. Spouse was helping to set the table for dinner in the sunroom and looked into the kitchen window and made a comment about being the 'zany next door neighbor' from a 1950s sitcom stopping by to gossip, and we all cracked up! Joe P took this photo.We had a delicious meal and a fun evening!

Weekend highlights

Sat I worked until 3:30. I left early so I could go home and run through my Legends show routine a few times before heading over to Steven & Thad's cookout. Spouse made potato salad and helped Steven & Thad get ready. Here's a photo of my back and ass in the background and some of the food in the foreground.
From left to right: Steven's macaroni salad, Steven's black bean and corn salad, and Spouse's potato salad.
They had a great turn out! Jason & Kevin, Chris & Jason, Jack, Allen, Joe P, Robin, the Bobs, Rusty and other friends and neighbors came. The food was great and we had fun talking and laughing. The weather was perfect for a cookout. I left at 8:30 to go to the Blue Moon for the Legends show. Our friends Marty & John and our neighbors Jim & Barb came to the show!

On Sun I went to work again and Spouse met up with Steven & Thad, Joe P, and Allen for the annual Drag Volleyball game. For years now 2 teams of volleyball players dress up in themed drag and play. There's always a dramatic introduction and a 1/2 time show too! Here's a photo from this year's game:That evening Spouse & I met up with another bunch of friends for a birthday/cocktail party. It was fun to hang out with this group of friends again as well as meet some new friends. Afterward many of the guys went to a big dance in town but Spouse & I picked up an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery (an early birthday treat for Thad's upcoming birthday) and took it over to Steven & Thad's and visited with them and Allen and Joe P.

This morning Spouse & I had a quick breakfast, packed our stuff and arrived at the beach at 10:15. The weather was mostly sunny, breezy and about 80 degrees. Steven & Thad and Allen were already there, and shortly after we arrived Joe P showed up too. We had a great day hanging out at the beach. We saw lots and lots of friends, including the guys from the previous night's birthday/cocktail party. The sun disappeared behind the clouds for an hour or so, but came back out again later. We'd brought lunch so we were able to stay until 4:15. What a great beach day! Once back at home we showered, dressed, and headed over to Steven & Thad's for dinner. Steven used the leftover chicken to make chicken enchiladas which we ate with the leftover salads. We ate outside in their yard and enjoyed the great breeze until it got dark and the bugs started biting. We went inside and had cherry pie and watched "True Blood".

It was a terrific holiday weekend filled with friends, food, celebrations, beach, and work.

Weekend highlights

After the previous weekend being a complete FAIL, thank goodness this past weekend was the exact opposite!

I worked on Sat. I had an appointment to show 2 homes to a couple at 11am who are planning to move here in a year or so when they retire, but may want to buy before then to have a beach house for weekends and summer vacations. Then I had an appointment to show 6 homes to a couple who are renting. They really liked the home I showed them in the neighborhood where they are currently renting and decided to write an offer! I told my buyers the house already had an offer on it but it was still going back and forth with both parties trying to agree on a final sale price. I suggested that if they really wanted the house, they should offer the full list price or something very close to it in order to get the seller to stop negotiating on the 1st offer. They heeded my advice and offered full list price and the seller accepted/ratified the offer! My 1st sale!!! I tried to contain my excitement since I didn't want my couple to know I'd only been selling real estate for about a month. Needless to say Spouse was VERY happy.

That evening we met Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, and Joe P at the Pickled Pig Pub for dinner. I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich. Afterward I dropped off Spouse at home and went to the Blue Moon to watch the 1st night of Legends show. My fellow cast mates did a fantastic job! The celebrities being impersonated were Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, and Boy George. The place was absolutely packed (with a line down the block to get it), but somehow I managed to run into several friends, 1 of which was Jeff a guy from my real estate school. I also saw Greg & Gerry and Marty & John whom I know from when we lived in VA. After the Legends show I hung out for a while and talked, then headed home.

Sun I worked in the office all day, then darted home to help Spouse get ready for our Memorial Day weekend cookout. We'd cleaned and gotten organized ahead of time so it didn't take much to get everything set up. 9 friends were able to make it and we had a great time eating and visiting on the screened porch. It was warm but not hot or humid so it was comfortable being outside.

Today (Memorial Day) I was off so Spouse & I went to beach where we met Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, Joe P, Robin and her friend Bill. It was really hot for Memorial Day (low 90s) but it felt great to sit on the beach for the 1st time this season and enjoy the day off. Later that evening we met up with them again for dinner at the Long Neck Diner.

It was a TERRIFIC weekend!!

Weekend low lights

I worked on Sat and then met up with Steven & Thad, Jack & Alisha, Robin, and Joe P for dinner.

Sun morning we drove to Cherry Hill to get BoltBus. Since we hadn't driven there in over a year we decided to use our GPS. It took us different route but I remembered seeing the new route on the map so I wasn't worried. However, a few miles from our destination the GPS suddenly went crazy! It told us to make right turns where there was no street and to make a sharp left turn when we were on a divided road. It kept "recalculating" over and over and I was getting frantic. We finally got to bus stop... 30 minutes late. Obviously we missed our bus so I called to check on when the next bus would arrive. My heart sunk when I was told that all the later buses were sold out. The reality hit me that we weren't going to NYC. We were going to miss visiting with our dear friend Lisa, the jazz concert, and seeing Tornwordo and Serge. EPIC. FAIL.

We were so angry/upset/disappointed that Spouse & I drove the entire way home without speaking. I tried to salvage the day and get him to do something else fun like go to dinner and/or a movie but wouldn't budge. So we stayed at home that night feeling sorry for ourselves.

Weekend highlights

Fri night we had dinner with 'the usual suspects' and then afterward, in a strange and likely unrepeatable fluke, I was able to convince Spouse to join me and Steven & Thad at the Divas Drag Show at the Blue Moon. (Spouse would be perfectly happy never stepping foot into a bar again.) It was fun and I think Spouse enjoyed it much more than he expected.

Sat morning I made my final trek north for real estate school. We reviewed of our 3 final exams, had an opportunity to ask questions, and heard tips about taking the state and national board exam. I shared the chocolate chip pecan cookies with everyone and then we received certificates. Once I got back in town I met Spouse, Jason & Kevin, and a couple friends who were helping move some furniture and stuff out of a storage unit. I helped rearrange some furniture but they were mostly done when I arrived. To thank us for helping, Jason & Kevin treated us to a late lunch at the Green Turtle. I had a California burger. Then Spouse & I did a little clearance shopping at the outlet mall. I got $130. unstructured sport coat from Ralph Lauren Polo for $32. and a $99. Kenneth Cole jacket for $29. I get tickled when I find such 'extreme deals' on things I'll surely use.

Later that evening we met Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, Jack & Alisha, and Robin for dinner at Claws. I had fried oysters - yum! Jack is in law school and I just finished real estate school so those 2 topics and politics dominated the conversation. Once back at home Spouse & I watched 4th and final DVD in the "United States of Tara" series. It was really good and I can't wait for the new season to come on Showtime so that season 3 will become available on DVD.

It rained overnight so Sun morning we slept in, then met Steven for breakfast at the Long Neck Diner. Its especially fun to meet friends for breakfast on a rainy day. Afterward we met Thad at their house and watched "The Social Network". I'd heard mixed reviews of it from friends but I liked it. After returning home Spouse went grocery shopping while I watched some TV shows I'd recorded on the DVR. (I hate grocery shopping.) That evening we met Steven & Thad and 1 of the Bobs for dinner at Mixx since they had a 'Buy 1 get 1 free' entree special. I had the Chicken Roulade and Spouse had the Pretzel Encrusted Rockfish. We both liked our meals.

That was our weekend; plenty to do but enjoyable.