Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams
I'm almost overwhelmed thinking of all the activity coming my way this week. Merv will be turning sixty on Friday and his brother Eric will be arriving with his partner Val on Wednesday. I've never met or spoken with Val but I'm sure she's lovely. It has been nine years since Eric has visited us. He was last here in the summer of 2005 when he came to celebrate my fiftieth. I'm looking forward to the week we will have together. Just the same, the time will be frenetic.
Courtney will turn twenty-one on Thursday. As she will be staying with us until Saturday, I will host a birthday dinner for her on Thursday night. Even at 21, Court loves all things Disney so I've decided on a Disney princess theme for her dinner. I've bought crowns and wands for the seven women who will attend. There will be butterfly lights, Disney princess tableware, party favors, cake and loot bags. I don't think I can get the six guys to play along so they can just enjoy the food and company.
On Friday, I will host Merv's birthday dinner. It has long been our practise to host an extended family dinner on Good Friday so this will be a combination event. As our Good Friday meal is always a fish dinner, I gave some real thought into how I could distinguish the meal this year. After some thought, I decided to do a British theme for my English husband. The English are not well known for the wonders of their cuisine but I'm sure we will enjoy the traditional fish and chips which will make up our main course. I went to several stores to find items for our decor and was finally able to put my hands on some Union Jack napkins and flags. The only store I could find in Toronto that carried English bunting had sold their last package an hour before I walked into the store. In the end, I've settled for red, white and blue crepe which I will somehow drape on the staircase. I'm also planning to fish out our red, white and blue Christmas lights. Sometime in the next two days, I'm going to decorate my Easter eggs as Union Jacks. Today I filled blue cellophane loot bags with a variety of red, white and blue candies.
I'm sure by the time Saturday morning comes, I will be feeling fairly wiped out but as it is Easter weekend, there will be no rest for the weary. Sometime in the following few days, we will need to fit in a trip to Niagara Falls as well as get Jacob back to school to write his final exam on Monday. It's all a bit crazy but no doubt, there will be enough love and laughter to make it worth the effort.
