Yesterday was my birthday and I had a GREAT day! I had the day off...the county gives employees one personal holiday a year...so I even got paid! I got so much done in one day! My first stop was the post office where I went to mail a package. Naturally there was a line...but you can't go to a post office in mid December and NOT expect a line. when I got to the counter I was paying by check...I handed the man my license and he said "Oh..it's her birthday! Come on everybody"...and then they all sang Happy Birthday to me. It was a fun way to start the day. Later in the day I went to read at my friend Amy's class...the boys and girls all made me birthday cards. I loved it!Our friends Mike and Denise had made arrangements with a local bar to allow us to come in and play our music one night...it just so happens their slow nights are Tuesdays...and my birthday happened to be on Tuesday this year...so my celebration was at The Monkey Bar.
The plan was to be there from 6-11 or so. I knew none would really be there at 6pm...so I expected most people to come around 7-7:30pm. My friend Heather and I got together and made our play list. Just like Santa we made a list and I checked it twice 3,4, too many times!haha Our "main" CD included Respect, Friday I'm in Love, Human, Tesla Girl, Bizarre Love Triangle, Hey Ladies, Insane in the Membrane, Once in a Lifetime, And So It Goes, I'm Gonna be (500 miles), Blood Pressure, Just Can't Get enough, Safety Dance, Wild Wild Life, Tainted Love and Sex on Wheelz. That was just one hour...We danced all night! which is exactly what I wanted to do.

John got me a cake and some balloons
Mike and Denise got me these beautiful flowers...and some champagne of course...which the bartender let us keep behind the bar...very nice of the owner to let us do that.
Just our speakers and a cd player (and a back-up)...and John was in control of the remote.


Not everyone danced...but there were pool tables, air hockey, Foosball, etc to keep the non dancers busy. haha




Lighting the candles so we could have some cake...a Lemon Infusion Cake from Publix...never had one before...it was GOOD!My night ended with a few minutes on the porch where I caught a glimpse of 6 shooting stars!...then the clouds moved in...but 6 was good enough.
so I guess if getting older is inevitable...we might as well have fun along the way. I feel pretty good this morning...just tired feet! Several people asked if we were doing it all again next week for John's birthday...the answer to that is...I don't think so....hahaha

Weekend birthday celebration

Charlie and Gayle M.
Gayle is in a Dance/Exercise class with Mary (the birthday girl)
John & I (celebrating our birthdays early)
after an hour or so of music, food and drinks...the DJ & the birthday girl wanted people to start dancing!
So we did! Fun music...mostly 80's...but some new stuff too(Michael Jackson,Talking Heads,Pitbull, Lady Gaga...INXS...stuff like that)...remember... about half the women (and 1 or two guys) that were there are in a dance/exercise class together...they know how to have fun and they KNOW how to Dance! When one of "their" songs came on they'd all jump up and start doing their routine....I just kind of edged over to the side...1,2,3 1,2,3..haha
as for me...I had a glass or two of champagne... enough to make me NOT shy...as John put it haha and once I got started dancing...I didn't stop.
I danced with John, Charlie and some other friends...and I danced to songs I normally wouldn't even probably listen to...but once I get going...who cares...I'll dance to pretty much anything. If a really cheesy song came on...it was time to head to the bathroom! hah


a few of the partners tried in vain I might add to actually "dance"...but I am not good at following someone Else's lead...I just want to move .(Brenna and Megan can tell you about my 3 step moves..hahaha...no matter what song it is...you can always follow along with "Anne Kaminski's School of Dance-3 steps!") All that spinning was making me dizzy anyway...haha

Mary grew up in Indialantic a few streets over from my street. I babysat for the kids that lived across the street from her,,,we also went to the same church growing up. So...consequently many of the people at the party were friends of ours, friends of our siblings, etc...including one (younger than me) girl who as the conversation went on...I discovered that I had babysat for once or twice.
The birthday girl (in black) dancing with her husband...having fun!
The party was in the building overlooking the tennis courts at a local club...so there was a nice porch that wrapped around the whole room. Some people stayed out there the whole time...closer to the bar??? and enjoyed the cool fresh air outside.

Mike's birthday bash

Mike and his sisters



they look innocent enough......


Let's get this fire started!


Last Saturday night the place to be was at Mike's birthday party. Every year around the 2nd weekend in October he celebrates his birthday with a big (fun) party....rain or shine! and even on occasion...a hurricane or tropical storm
Everyone who has attended in the past...knows it's going to be a great time.Everyone brings a side dish and he cooks up smoked turkey, beef and pork and his special fish gumbo...chock full of shrimp, fish, crab? you name it. This is the real deal...something in every bite...(sort of like my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream! haha) His family and his parents and sisters and nieces and nephews always come.(that's him with his sisters Denise, Christina and Marie and one of his nieces in the photos) Old friends and friends of friends.(Steve & Heather) (Steve, John M. Rick B and Courtney in photos)..it's just a great time.
This year I had a blast...for whatever reason I was just in a good mood and I had more fun than I've had in months! Probably after just having spent time enjoying visits with my own brothers and sister Martha...it was like more of the same. Lots of laughs, a great football game and good music. I did have my bottle of champagne....but I didn't really over do it. We (John M., Steve M and someone else
(?)only caused a little trouble when as the night went on and the crowd thinned out,,,we noticed that many of the people were over in the side yard near where the fire was burning. (it was finally COLD! outside) Well...we were standing next to a little
chimnea and a stack of wood...so why not light one in it? (made perfect sense)
Well...of course it made no sense because Denise didn't want a fire in it during the party in case a child got curious, or someone accidentally tipped it over, etc.....not thinking along those lines due to champagne-me, beer-John and actually just water for Steve...no excuses there haha...John, Steve, and I and the other guy all thought we had a great plan. The guy (wish I could remember his name) decides to make it really easy...and goes over to the other fire and brings back a burning log.....sticks it in and "Voila!" a fire.(he's getting it ready in the next to last photo) In the meantime...I went inside to get something. When I returned just moments later the wind had stoked up the fire and SMOKE was pouring out of the "fireplace" gassing everyone in the area out....John, Steve and I looked at each other and said something along the lines of "Oh Crap!""This may be why they didn't light a fire in this thing!" After we all stopped laughing...Denise came out and saw the smoke and said "Hey...who lit a fire in here?" The guys were already working on putting it out...by way of lifting the whole "fireplace" up and hauling it off around the corner...to where Shane (who just happens to be a firefighter) was more than happy to hose the whole thing down and then some. Luckily, even Denise was laughing at this point.Meanwhile John, Steve and I and the other guy were looking a little sheepish...as we apologized for smoking everyone out...haha The only other event was when my acrylic glass that I was telling everyone was perfect because it was unbreakable...fell/got knocked out of my hand and bounced off the pavers...breaking the bottom piece off.....so I was left with the glass and a stem....John M suggested
that if I needed to set it down I just needed to find a soft patch of dirt or grass and poke it in! hahahaha (last photo). Really...I wasn't out of control...we were just having fun! (my) John had left around 9:00pm and promised to come back to drive me home after he took a "nap".All night people were laughing when I told them that...but lo and behold who came dancing out onto the patio around 11:00pm...JOHN! Mike's sisters couldn't believe it...Marie looked up and said "Hey! He's back!" (If you know John you know he's either going strong...or he's going to eat have a beer or two and get tired. He has been known to slip out of many a party...to go home and sleep....but this time...he came back and stayed until 1:30am!) I figured when I went to bed that I might be moving a little slowly in the morning...but I woke up feeling great! Walked up to Chris and Heather's house to get my car...and drove it home. I think I am ready for the next party!