The first day of the last month of the year started out
relaxing with Tai Chi and breakfast; moved to busy hard work followed up with
some fun time outdoor Christmas decorating that we finished getting put up by
the time we stopped for a late lunch. We’d
dodged a bit of rain here and there all morning, and Dad still had to work
around that while finishing up a few things outside after we ate, but I got to
stay dry and do some housework on the third floor before needing to stop and
get ready for Rebecca’s birthday party.
We were meeting for dinner at the Inn,
but Rowen picked me up on the way through, and we stopped in at Rebecca’s house
to meet up with her and Jenny; and drop off our overnight bags. Some of the other girls were doing that too,
and there were some boyfriends along for the detour on the way to the Inn. Hindsight is
a wonderful, if useless, thing to have; but I really would have skipped that
stop just to avoid seeing the look on Miranda’s face when we walked into the
Inn, and I happened to be walking next to Michael as we – and Rowen and Tim –
were trailing along behind Rebecca and the rest of her friends. You know the look I’m talking about – one
that I’ve seen way too often on Aunt Leanne’s face. I’ll probably never know if the dinner
seating arrangements were changed because of that moment, or were
pre-meditated, but I wasn’t surprised when Rowen and I found out that we were
at the same table with Michael and Tim at the table to Rebecca’s back – with
empty chairs available for when Jacob, Miranda, Jake, and Stephanie could take
turns sitting with us to eat dinner, have cake and ice cream, or sit down while
Rebecca opened gifts.
At the risk of giving Aunt Leanne future ammunition some
day, Rowen and I had fun with Michael and Tim during dinner. I guess that’s one change for the better since
I moved here – the fact that they can now talk to girls without risking
permanent reputation damage with their buddies.
With the efficiency of our town grapevine, Tim might have to worry about
what his girlfriend thinks about him laughing and having fun with Rowen and me,
but I’m sure he’ll survive. He’d be in
bigger trouble with Nora if she hears about how much time he and Michael spent
watching Rebecca’s friends after we got back to the Stone’s house during the
rest of the party and at least parts of the sleepover, but I’ll get to that in
a bit.
Miranda had a special party menu for us to choose from, and
Rowen and I both went with a really awesome chicken and pasta entree along with
splitting appetizer and garlic bread with cheese orders with Michael and
Tim. When Stephanie proudly advised us
that the chicken and pasta was a Jake Stone original tonight, I got teased for
telling her that she was so lucky – that I wasn’t five years older; and even
though the last half of that just sort of popped out, I didn’t mind the
follow-up jokes when my little faux pas was also so much fun for Stephanie and
Jake.
Getting a hug and kiss on the cheek from Jake might have
helped with getting over any embarrassment too, but let’s not think about that
too much.
I already mentioned that Rowen and I managed to have fun
with Michael and Tim during dinner, and that’s a bit surprising in a way; since
they spent a lot of time talking about high school football; the big win last
night; and our team’s chances for the Championship match. It helps that I can keep up with them when
they’re discussing strategies, formations, and the rest; and Rowen knows a lot
too even without the same advantages I have.
We knew that Tim was really into football, but tonight we found out that
he really wants to play on the team when we start high school; and I’ll take a
wild guess that Michael will be right there with his best friend even if he
isn’t quite as enthusiastic – or driven to follow a family tradition.
Football wasn’t the only thing we talked about. The Christmas shopping trip next Saturday was
a safe topic as long as Rowen and I didn’t include shopping for clothes in the
discussion. Gift ideas for family and
friends was safe; and so was talking about the coolest new toys and games –
particularly the video games. We were on
the edge of the birthday action around Rebecca’s table; but there were little
cameo moments that we spent with Rebecca too.
Everyone was in on the birthday song, candles, and cake ritual and most
of us stayed close while Rebecca opened her gifts. There was lots of fun to be had with that,
since most guys apparently have no clue what to get a thirteen-year old girl
for a birthday, and some of the girls went with joke gifts that were meant for
laughs and fun. Michael took a little
heat for the soft, gorgeous sweater he gave his sister, but he was smart enough
to get help with his choice, and the sweater was just part of the ensemble that
Miranda and Stephanie put together for Rebecca that included two blouses, dress
pants, a skirt, and a jacket.
If only Rebecca wasn’t six inches taller than me; I’d be
shopping in her closet next week!
We were at the Inn for
about two hours, and then headed back to Rebecca’s house. The main party action was in the living room;
though the kitchen was popular because it was snack and drink central – and
where Jake and Stephanie were staying while pretending not to chaperone the
party until Miranda and Jacob finished working at the Inn. There was video gaming on the television;
music on the stereo; and a small area for dancing.
Rowen and I spent extra time in the kitchen, though that
revived some teasing directed my way about Jake; but we also sat in the living
room with Rebecca quite a bit too – or just wandered around the house with
her. She’d been having fun at the Inn,
but being one of the only girls without a boyfriend when most of her best
friends were busy dancing or cuddling with their guys had her feeling out of
place and a bit sad. We found out that
the sad was mostly because there had been absolutely nothing between her and
Jonathan while he was here for Thanksgiving.
I don’t know how long it’ll be before she’s ready to play the dating
game again; but it definitely wasn’t something she was interested in
tonight. For the second time this week,
I’ve felt like I’m not able to do a very good job helping a friend through a
tough time, but I did what I could tonight; and at least for a few hours, Rebecca,
Rowen, and I were closer than we’ve been in quite a while.
We were helped with that thanks to some entertainment
provided by our friends. Jenny and Shane
disappeared a few times; and the smiles we saw when they returned strongly
suggested that they weren’t just taking washroom or snack breaks. They weren’t the only couple to wander off
now and then, so Rebecca, Rowen, and I had lots of material to work with while
we talked quietly and mostly watched the action going on around us. Michael and Tim were entertaining too, though
I’m sure they wouldn’t find the fact that we were amused by their avid, if
surreptitious, girl-watching. I’m not
even sure if any of the other girls noticed that they were being admired, but
considering how dismally Michael and Tim were doing playing video games; it
should have been obvious.
No, the three of us were not on their radar at all; Rebecca
for obvious reasons despite the fact that she’s probably the most beautiful
girl in her class, and Rowen and me because we’re still kids by comparison to
the older girls. I think that annoyed
Rowen even if we both understand why our male classmates would be more
interested in Stephanie, Jenny, and the other girls. Since I’ve so recently been caught thinking
along those lines about Jake, this is probably a good time to just let this
part of the evening recap drop.
Miranda and Jacob got home shortly before ten o’clock, and
after making their rounds in the living room and getting the party update from
Jake and Stephanie, they set the two teens free to do whatever they wanted and
took over in the kitchen. Rebecca,
Rowen, and I joined them there, and we ended up helping out with getting
everything ready for an eleven o’clock pizza break. That was probably the scariest moment of the
night, but fortunately, Jacob has a very large oven; and had the food coming
fast enough to keep the boys from eating the furniture, paper plates, or
anything else that wasn’t nailed down.
Jake and Stephanie had only gone upstairs to hang out in his
room, and joined in for the pizza; so we sat down with them – and eventually
with Miranda and Jacob – in the dining room while most of the teens took their
pizza to go and headed back into the living room to hang out there. That time with Miranda and Jacob was one of
my favorite moments of the night – just getting to relax and chat while they
wound down from a long day at the Inn and we
talked about everything from the party to Christmas holiday plans.
The timing for the pizza was intentional, and marked the wind-down
to the boys being sent on their way by midnight – when the party would
transform magically into a mostly girls-only sleepover. Dads get an automatic exemption; none of the
girls had a problem with keeping Jake at the house; and Michael and Tim mostly
stayed out of the way while being appreciative and attentive observers of the
slumber party ritual.
Again, let’s not go there.
We were bunked two girls to a guest room, but after taking
turns getting ready for bed, we met up in the living room to watch a movie or
two first. With boyfriends out of the
way, Rebecca spent the rest of the night hanging out with Jenny and the rest of
their usual group of friends, and Rowen and I sat back; watched the movie; and
let the other girls – and Michael and Tim – entertain us. Yeah, I really don’t want to go there, but
it’s amazing how many excuses two twelve-year old boys can come up with to
explain their recurring presence around a bunch of girls in pajamas and
nighties. I even saw Tim manage to drop
off his next excuse for coming into the living room while picking up a video
game that he and Michael just absolutely needed to play since they couldn’t
sleep with all of the noise we were making.
Rowen and I watched the first movie, but came up to bed with
about half the girls while Rebecca, Jenny, and the others stayed and started a
second chick flick. I’m doing this, and
finished my usual nightly computing while Rowen and I are chatting and working
our way toward sleep. I’ve pretty much
covered the highlights, and since some of us need to get up early to have any
hope of everyone getting ready for church in time; it’s time to...
...say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.
“Goodnight, Cassie.”
