I did start getting a little aggravated when we got home and it was time to start getting ready for the party, though. When we got home around 2:30, we�d already put in a 12-hour day, so of course everybody was tired. And when I started talking about party preparations, everyone was like, �Didn�t you get everything set up last night?� Well, no. We still had to set up all the tables and chairs, put out tablecloths and centerpieces, get all the drinks into coolers, straighten up the garage, set out the appetizers, pick up the balloons, get more ice, get the rest of the house straightened up, and pick up the food.

We had about three hours to get all of this finished, and while my mom and I were scrambling around trying to pull everything together, everybody else (B and his mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and best friend) was just lounging around drinking beer! Even B, which really bugged me. After all, all of this was for him, and he was just sitting there acting like I was a fool for stressing out and trying to make sure the party was a nice one.

Nevertheless, we got everything finished and I had time to change my clothes and we picked up the food and people arrived and the backyard looked nice and people talked and ate and drank and told me what a wonderful party it was. When it got dark, we lit the tiki torches and the candles on each table, and it was a glorious, warm evening and everything glowed and looked pretty. B drank many, many beers and wore the Hawaiian straw hat (which we were using as a chip bowl) on his head, and when people tried to go home he told them it was too early and they had to stay longer. I drank some beer and some wine, but I think I was too busy to feel drunk. I made the rounds and tried to talk to everyone but didn�t quite invest in any one conversation, which is unfortunate � I was always thinking of the next person I had to say hello to. When midnight rolled around and the last person went home, I was relieved and passed out in bed.

Yesterday we got to sleep in and hang around for a while before heading to Newport Beach / Balboa Island. We rode the ferry across the water, ate lunch at the end of the pier, watched some kids play on a jimmied-up version of slip-and-slide on the beach, played skee-ball at the arcade and bought silly prizes with our tickets, and ate Balboa Bars on the boardwalk. At home, we enjoyed a quiet evening and I crashed early.

I love B�s family and it�s been nice having them here and it�s really great that they all made the trip to support him, but I am so glad I didn�t have to go to San Diego with them today. San Diego is beautiful and everything, but I�m exhausted and I�m not sure how much traipsing around town I can take.

In other news, we may be leaving for Hawaii this FRIDAY!!! For 10 days!!! Oh my gosh, how I need this vacation. It�s been much too long since B and I took a real vacation together, and with everything that�s going on � millions of houseguests, surviving the last semester, finishing an old job, starting a new job, and plans to open a business � the two of us are fried. Plus that, who knows when we�re gonna have another chance to take a vacation? It could be another two years. Ugh.

Ahhh, just the thought of sleeping in, sunbathing poolside, playing in the surf, snorkeling, and taking drives through the tropics is enough to make me smile. I wanna go NOW!