Happy Dick Clark Eve

I hope everyone rang in the new year with enthusiasm and made it to the other side safely. Everything was pretty tame for us this year. One of the most exciting things about our new year's was our new year's plans. Since Dick Clark's personal invitation was lost in the mail, we were planning on a low key celebration this year. Taking the kids to a movie, followed by a 'Game of Life' marathon was our original plan leading up to our sparkling cider toasts.


Those plans were changed by an invitation from our neighbor to party at their home. They have a couple of girls close to Number One Son's age so all of the kids could have fun too.

We then got invited by another neighbor of ours to go out to eat for supper. More kids, more fun. So now, instead of quietly watching the ball drop at home, we got to eat out and sing Auld Lang Syne in chorus.

We will have to see Alvin and the Chipmunks another weekend I guess.

Even though we missed the movie, we were still able to play Life. Our friends also like to play games, so we brought our Life game with us. It was a memory jogger. Many of our friends remembered playing as kids. We got to laugh about how our lives have paralleled the game in many ways. Now we are all hoping to move into Millionaire Estates in the future.

We also played 'Balderdash', a game that requires you to make up definitions to obscure words and try to fool your opponents into believing you. As the time got later, the definitions got wilder. We had some interesting meanings for the word 'quondong' by the end of the evening. And just so your mind doesn't visit the same gutter ours were in, a quondong is an Australian fruit bush.

The kids were a little miffed about not being able to play with the adults, but they played well on their own and got to watch a couple movies.

Everyone stayed up to see the heroic Dick Clark count down to the new year. The kids got their sparkling cider and we got our Asti Spumonti. Sweet Pea was sitting on Lady Di's lap and was squirming and wiggling so much, Lady Di asked her if she had to go to the bathroom.

"No, I'm just so excited for the New Year!, she squealed.


N1S will also have something to be excited for in 2008. This year, Lady Di observed, N1S's age will be double digits for the first time. He will turn ten and will no longer be a single digit kid. He showed a little sign of growing up that night when he wouldn't kiss his Mom in front of his friends when midnight hit. He did later when no one was looking though.

All in all, this year's celebration was a lot of fun. We got to see friends, play games and get a jump on 2008. I would like to thank both of our neighbors for thinking of us this year. We have some very great friends.

So raise your stemware and toast to good fortune in the new year. And while you are at it, plant a quondong this spring.