Sep11

Birthday shenanigans

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Birthday shenanigans

From my BBBB (Beloved Birthday Blog Buddy) Ju-Lyn: Can’t wait to see what Birthday shenanigans you get up to this year😆🤩

Me: Oh, I will shenanigan like the wind, Ju-Lyn!

First of all, remember Snowball Man, whom I ran into another night The Band played? We exchanged emails, so I was able to invite him to BBBB. (This time, Betsy’s Birthday Band Bash. Keep up.) He wrote back:

You just made my day! Will make sure that day is clear and will wear body amour. I tore the muscle in my throwing arm unloading a 300 lb tub so I’ll have to throw left handed……………which should make it fair this time.

Then three days before the big night, he wrote:

I got rescheduled to work Saturday. Was going to go shopping all day for your present but now I’ll have to rush into Pic and Save and hope something is left on the blue light special table. Hopefully I’ll get there while there are still some tables (within throwing distance). Don’t want to miss you……….. with a snowball of course.

And he really did get me a gift. I was surprised and impressed.

Then I saw the envelope:

My name in crosshairs. Clever.
Two pairs of snowball slingshots! VERY clever. Sadly, I didn’t open this until the end of the night.

I met his wife again and we had a lovely chat. The four of us may even do dinner some time. Though the snowball slingshots are great, an even better gift was him telling me my parenting book had arrived that day and he looked forward to reading it. He also bought and read (his wife too) 101 Tips for a Happier Marriage. That’s TWO of my books. He might be my biggest fan.

At a certain point, I decided the time had come. I pulled out what was left of the 150 original snowballs from BBBB two years ago, (Did you get it this time?) which amounted to maybe 110. I scattered them around by throwing them at people randomly and let them take it from there.

The guitarist said from the stage, “Do you know what it means when you see snowballs? It means it’s Betsy’s birthday!” Later I was called on stage to be sung to. The next day the guitarist texted to apologize for that, saying, “We just had to.”

They just had to.

My guests all seemed to have a good time and enjoyed the music. I brought loads of cupcakes and a mini beer pong set I happened across months ago and grabbed, figuring it would come in handy someday. I pulled it out at a table and asked my friends how to play. None of them knew. Finally, a high school student came over and showed us! Hubby remarked that it will be fun for him to tell his friends that he played beer pong with his zoology teacher and the vice principal’s wife.

My friend cleverly set up a backboard for us, which really did help. I know you’re supposed to put beer in the cups, but we opted not to because who wants to drink beer that caught a ball that had likely been on the ground. What? We’re old, okay?

One thing I asked of the band was that they play “Smells Like Teen Spirit” so my neighbor and I could dance on a table, like we planned more than two years ago after she and I spontaneously combusted in unison to that song. The band didn’t play it this night. 😦 But I was grateful to have a willing accomplice nonetheless. We even had a sturdy table picked out, ready to go.

Beloved Neighbor. Dancing on a table will have to be crossed off the bucket list next time.

When Pearl Jam’s “Alive” was played, I noticed three people really enjoying it. In other words, my kind of people. I walked over to them and told them about my trip to Seattle with Hubby in which we did a grunge tour including a visit to Easy Street Records where I pointed to a t-shirt hanging high on a wall. I told Hubby, “I had that T-shirt in high school!”

Guess what he got me for my birthday?

High School Betsy all over again. Just a few years later.

The PJ fans appreciated the story. One high fived me, twice.

Finally, when the night was over, we returned home to find this in our yard:

Last year there was one in my birdbath. I have The Best neighbor. Why flamingos on my birthday? Long story for another time.

Great band, great night, great friends, great hubby, great birthday.

I hope that was shenanigany enough for you, Ju-Lyn!

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79 responses »

  10. I’m now convinced all shenanigans start with the letter “s”. Snowballs. Slingshots. Sung to on a stage. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on a table. Shirt from Pearl Jam. Stork (whoops, make that “Slamingo”). Solid celebration, Betsy. Happy birthday!

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  12. Birthday flamingos are a tradition. You aren’t really loved unless you get a good B-day flocking!

    I’d support you by buying your books too, but my kids have already flown the coop and Team MarTar practically invented happy marriages. But if I’m ever in town on your birthday, I’ll totally table dance with you.

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    • Willing to table dance with me! Nice, Mark!

      BTW, went to a wedding this weekend (it was a busy one) and finally tried an Old Fashioned! After all that waiting for an opportunity, not really a fan! Haha. But I did buy myself peanut butter whiskey as a present to myself. Oh my goodness… have you tried that stuff yet? Num!

      And come on, no comment on the shirt? Oh! Oh! Finally watched Singles with Hubby! Best part was Eddie and Jeff watching the documentary on bees with rapt attention, shushing Matt Dillon so they could hear it better. Haha! So good. 🙂

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      • A person who likes peanut butter whiskey probably won’t enjoy a traditional Old Fashioned, lol. Just sayin’!

        Of course I love the shirt! And I’m so glad you finally watched “Singles.” I’ve seen it dozens of times and can probably quote most of it by heart. My favorite line? “I was just nowhere near your neighborhood.”

        I always get super nostalgic for the 90s after watching it.

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  17. Oh man, that looks like fun! So… those tats real or not? I’m guessing not since they don’t appear in the picture with your PJ t-shirt… or was a visit to a local tattoo parlor (I know there are tons of those up your way) another birthday gift?

    Just so you know (with regards to John’s comment), hubs and I are celebrating are 20th anniversary tomorrow and our wedding reception WAS broken up by cops… twice.

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    • Your reception was broken up by cops?! Twice?!! No way!!! Oh man, Janis. This deserves a post! Or, at the very least, please share here.

      Thank you for finally asking about the tats. I purposely stayed quiet on that. 😛 Totally fake. My daughter drew that on with a tattoo marker. I did it two years ago too. Maybe some people remember and therefore already knew. It’s tempting to have for real, though. I rather like it. 🙂

      Also, happy anniversary!!!!

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  18. What fun, Bets. I laughed all through this, comments and all. Still smiling. It’s like I have snowballs and a band right in my living room. Pity I can’t climb onto a table. Happy birthday 🎉

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  19. Happy, happy birthday! What a blast! I love that your hubby got you your high school tshirt. Amazing! And I’m cracking up that only the high school kid knew how to play beer pong. I have to admit, I’ve never actually played. I think that game started after I graduated from college. I guess we just stood around the kegs and chit chatted. Or jammed to Def Leppard.

    I will always associate plastic pink flamingos with Parma, Ohio.

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    • Yes on the flamingos! It was a rude awakening that no one out here got the flamingo thing! I thought it was universal. So, having explained the whole sordid tale of me discovering otherwise, my neighbor remembers and celebrates for me accordingly. She’s amazing.

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    • Ally Bean! Guess what! I had coffee yesterday with two friends and one said … guess which word… like 4 times! So in that context, it meant common, standard, usual, perhaps popular even. Not derisive just commonplace. Still not sure if that helps your quandary. Seems more like you stepped into the middle of a conversation where something got lost in translation, but I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly ever time she said it!! 😝

      Oh, and thanks!!! 🙂🙃🥳

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