Wednesday, March 31, 2004
The Princess Party
What an event - Zo's 30th bday party last Saturday - (even though she's not 30 for another 8 days).
It all started with Zo calling me to see if I'd go jewelry shopping with her to find the perfect earrings for her dress. I said 'of course', and also made up some lame excuse about having to go by a client's house first to drop off a contract. This was a trick, because I had to figure out a way to get her to the hairdresser's to get her hair done for the special day. So, I asked her to grab my appointment book from the back seat and tell me what the client's name was....that I couldn't remember. When she opened it, it had the name of the hairdresser with a 2-o'clock appt. written in for Zo. At which point, she squealed excitedly "My party is TODAY! YAAAAEEEEEEYYY!"
Too cute.
After getting hair done, going to ABC Wholesale for jewelry (THE place to go in St. Lou for party jewelry, and cheap, cheap cheap!) and having lunch at the Macaroni Grill, we went back to Zo's house to get ready. Once everything was together, I handed her an envelope with a polaroid picture in it and a clue that read:
On this 27th day
We take you to an alley-way,
Where you will find
a face so kind
and you’ll be offered a special treat!
The polaroid was a snap of the door to Saratoga Lanes - an upstairs bowling alley where we used to have drinks & hang out. Our friend Jimboree was waiting there, and was supposed to buy her a cocktail and hang out for a few. Unfortunately, the place was closed for a private party. So he had to settle for giving her a hug - and another clue.....
Now that you’ve made your first strike,
You’ve seen that this ain’t the joint.
So we take you to
A place that you
Drank cuba libras and played pool.
On work days, it was a short hike...
that was the pointe.
This was accompanied by a snapshot of the doorway to a bar called The Hi-Pointe - another hangout of ours from back in the day. By now, you've probably figured out that my goal was not only to befuddle her little blonde brain, but also to keep her guessing. After all, ANY of these places we were sending her to could be the site of her party....
Now, the first snafu kicked in. Because Jimboree hadn't been able to keep her there for a while, she was ahead of schedule. Our friends Brad and Renee were supposed to meet her at the hi-pointe; but when I called their house to get their cell number so I could tell them to stall her a little, it turned out that they were STILL AT HOME. And Zo was already on her way to the Hi-Pointe. So, I had to call Zo, tell her to just sit tight & have a drink. She was nervous about ordering drinks that she didn't bring money to pay for, which I found hilarious....did she really think we'd leave her high-and-dry? Of course not...but the bartender didn't seem too amused when she asked if she could order a drink that her friends would pay for later (hahaha).
Meanwhile, I headed over to drop off a few things at the final party destination and then set myself up at Zo's next site. Brad & Renee met Zo at the hi-pointe & stalled her for a few.....a few longer than i'd thought. An hour later, I was still waiting for her! But soon, she was on her way, after having read her next clue....
Cherries are red,
Violas are purple.
But our favorite color
is somewhere in between...
This clue came complete with a picture of the multitude of clocks on the wall of...you guessed it....Tangerine. I hung out there and chatted with bartender Megan while waiting for Zo. Jimboree showed up to buy a pack of smokes & hang out with me until the Birthday Girl arrived.
Zo finally called to tell me she was on her way, lamenting the fact that she'd had to drive HERSELF to everywhere she'd been. "It's part of the fun, you wench!" I laughed & told her. "Yeah, right!" she said. "I'm driving with expired plates!!"
Uh oh. Didn't know that, or I would've made other arrangements for her. Ah well. Too late at that point, and figured we'd just walk to the final destination:
Damn! That wasn’t the place!
And you were SO sure,
It was written on your face.
But do not wrinkle your pretty brow,
you’ve not FARR-A-to-GO!
Yes, the party site was Farrago - our friend Doug's place. It's a coffee house, it's a movie-rental house, it's a place to kick back. Stylish, fun, and RED - definitely Zo.
We walked two blocks down to Farrago and entered to choruses of "Happy Birthday!" Friends and family were there, as well as red and purple balloons attached to little silver high-heeled shoes on all the tables. Tons of food - including the requisite mashed potatoes. :)
We talked, and drank and danced. Then, the moment Zo had been waiting for - her crowning. We turned on her favorite song by her favorite band: Ana Ng by TMBG - and I placed the tiara on her lovely blonde head.
She was thrilled to pieces by the whole affair and a good time was had by all who attended. Thank you to our lovely friends and family members who made this party such a special day for Zoe!
And Doug - babe - you are SO loved. You SO rock. And I SO owe you SO many hours of massage for this one.
DivAppreciatively Yours,
Vi
