Finally.

A two-day ordeal of my birthday celebration has come to a close. And boy has it been FUN!!

Friday was my company’s Thanksgiving potluck and birthday party for November people. We are getting better at not bringing too much food, but still have a whole bunch of leftover in the end. Needless to say, after the turkey and fixings, ham, 4 different salads, massive amount of dessert and ice cream later, that afternoon was pretty much in a blissful food coma haze.

That evening right after work, Brandon came up to town and we headed over to the Library Bar. Everyone has her own favorite place and this one is mine. I have been bringing my friends and coworkers here since they opened. The owner knows me by name and so does the bartender. We had the private room reserved for our little group so we didn’t have to fight to find some space. That mad us look all VIP like and we were getting nasty stares from haters all over the crowded bar. LOL.

Good times was had by all…especially me with a free pass to “shots that will get this birthday girl drunk on the house” by the order of the owner. Fortunately for him, it only took one shot for me to get drunk. LOL.

Saturday came a day of errands, house cleaning and party preparation. I went to town with Giada’s recipes with Bollito Misto with gorgonzola sauce and salsa verde and a tray of balsamic barbecue baked chicken breasts. And seriously, the Bollito Misto is PERFECT as a no fuss meal for a big group of people. You brown the meat, then let it cook in liquid for 2 hours meanwhile you finish the really really easy sauces in minutes. When your guests show up, you carve and enjoy the company. Soooo painless! But I foodie-digress.

A dozen people showed up to wish me a happy birthday. Beer and wine were flowing every which directions. And then Karaoke Revolution for all…well most…to enjoy. The whole apartment was filled with music and laughter. That there is THE perfect party.

Brandon and James went to fetch me another USB microphone so we could do duets. In the meantime, one person was singing for scores and the rest of us were singing along with her/him. When Brandon came back, he said he could hear us all the way down in the alley.

“Oh well, it’s about time someone else calls the cops on us instead,” I told him.

“The thing is, if that somebody calls the cops, we might just get K-9 Steve over here,” Brandon said of our friend.

“Oh, good! All the foods I made tonight is gluten-free. He can have a bite when he comes up.”

No, we didn’t get quite THAT out of control. Hahah. And Brandon took care of the clean up for me. I love this man!

This party marked the first time we met Irena’s fiance Danny and Katie’s Justin. Irena got engaged about a month ago, and Katie last weekend. Actually, if Brenda and Jon could have come, they’d be the third newly engaged couple at my party.

Next year there will be three weddings and 5 babies (3 local, 2 East Coast). We’d better save up our money now. Haha.

And you think I would get to sleep in after a few shots of Limoncello and a few glasses of wine later. But nope. This morning, we dragged my still drunk butt out of bed to get help Shane’s dad move all the stuff out of his store. Pops finally retires from the beauty supply business after twenty some years.

Thank goodness for my typical late onset hangover, I was able to function most of the morning and finally dropped out as we drove around looking for a metal salvaging place all the way up in Compton. And oh yes, a big lesson of the day. Recycling centers like that are closed on Sunday. Doh!

Oh, and the boys also had some fun while working…

So, I am now recovering from all the activities with long naps and hanging out on the couch watching Brandon breaks into Assassin’s Creed. This game looks awesome.

Two more days until my Week of Bliss, kids. Two. More. Days!!!!!

Oh, and we’re not doing Thanksgiving here this year. At least I don’t think we are. Justin and Olaina will not be available and as Brandon and I learned in the past, even a 8-lb. turkey is way too much for 2 people to handle. We’ll see how this pans out.