I Suck At Half Birthday Parties

Yesterday, Karen and I... and our baby daughter (Briana) traveled to the bewitching town of Salem. What is in Salem besides witches? Well... my bff (Kerry) just so happens to reside in Salem and she decided to have a little cookout celebration.

Kerry, like a good many friends that I know, was born in the month of December. And as anyone with a December birthday can tell you, celebrating your day with a group of people within that month can be quite difficult with the holidays and all. Thus, she came up with the idea of having a birthday party in June... or as she refers to it as... a half birthday party because it's halfway to her birthday.

Unfortunately, I suck at half birthday parties. Truth be told, I think the idea is pretty ingenious, in part because I also happen to have a birthday in the month of December. In fact, I started my whole photo scavenger hunt because of that very dilemma as well... how to celebrate your day with a bunch of friends without having to celebrate it in the month of December.

Needless to say, Karen and I attended Kerry's half birthday party. We had wanted to bring a gag gift in honor of it being Kerry's half birthday, but we could not decide upon something. I had originally suggested a two piece bathing suit, but only giving her either the top or the bottom. Our other ideas were very limited... like a single shoe.

Anyway, the half birthday party was good. As a new parent of a 3 month old, I have recently been comparing Briana to other children close to her age. After all, I felt a lot of pressure with Briana because people used to always tell Karen and I that our future baby will be so adorable and all of that (being of a mixed race and all). I have no idea what these people used to base their assumptions on. Naturally, I felt that Briana had high expectations to live up to.

So it may have been a little possible that at the half birthday party, I compared Briana to another baby who also happened to be at the party. Now, I know parents always think their own child is the most beautiful thing since sliced bread. After all, it's their own child and of course they would be biased. That said, I was quite ecstatic during the half birthday party. Briana was easily the best looking baby, despite the my-baby-is-so-wonderful stories by the mother of the other baby. But to each their own.

The half birthday party itself was interesting. As usual, the food was delicious. In addition to the standard cookout staples of hot dogs and hamburgers, Kerry made a corn casserole dish. The dish was very delicious. Similarly, I'll give props to my friend (Hot Amy) for her guacamole. It was surprisingly good.

Speaking of which, the other friends of mine who attended the half birthday party included Marc, Kelley, Andrea, Cass, Jenn, Bill, Carlos and Steve. I have gotten to known Steve through Kerry. He is a funny guy... and one who I think has a neat job. I would definitely love to be able to watch a live open heart operation. That would be cool to watch.

Anyway, like many of Kerry's friends, Steve is from Rhode Island. In general, whenever Kerry has a party, it's usually a party of two locations: Massachusetts of where Kerry grew up; and Rhode Island of where Kerry attended college. Even though the party would be at the same location, the group interactions would usually be divided. The friends from Massachusetts would talk amongst themselves. The friends from Rhode Island would talk amongst themselves. Steve, however, seems to be the only who can easily bridge the gap between the two groups. It's interesting to watch.

In my opinion, the half birthday party was no different. Those from Massachusetts generally hung outside of Kerry's place. Those from Rhode Island generally hung inside of Kerry's place. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just how it is. And really, it makes logical sense. People will do what they are most comfortable with... and that is associate with people they know. Given the option of having a conversation with someone who you hardly know versus having a conversation with someone you grew up with... the choice generally will be the latter probably because it requires less effort.

Unfortunately, I was not up for conversing either way. I was busy imbibing libations with Andrea, Kelley and Cass. There may have been a conversation about South Africa in there somewhere.

Anyway, it was a nice birthday party. I hope Kerry had a great time. Happy half birthday BFF!