Turn the Barbie up!

Saturday was R’s official birthday barbeque. And this year, we decided to veer away from hard core poultry as the main entrée and spiced things up with assorted kabobs. While it was our virgin run with the skewers from hell, it was surprisingly easier to maneuver around them.

S introduced me to this mega-chinese grocery store T&T, which was stocked with all the things necessary to have a good wholesome meal on the cheap. The girls got dresses for this most spectacular event and we readied ourselves for a backyard fete.

Needless to say, all great days are punctuated with moments of distress. My beloved M got into a tiny little fender bender that left him and his mom straight but his car most definitely bent. Hence, aunty decided to bow out of the celebratory night to calm her frazzled nerves down. I’m glad they’re okay. Righteously, karma has a way of playing horror in sets of three – the trinity of ill will, you could say. B (R’s British man) also got into a couple spills – totaling his audi and making way for a new one. Looks like the boys will be pimping new rides this fall – all three of em. M/R/B – nice one guys!

Tia actually showed up this time which I was absolutely tickled pink about because with the baby she’s playing a whole different ball game. One that involves strollers, baby bags, books, and all the appendages that seem to be vital for the little one. R is soooo adorable. Her little chubbalicious arms, her vivacious laugh, her ear-splitting cries – it was all joy. J brought along some jerk chicken and exposed a few of our guests to a fan-taste-ic experience. Unfortunately, due to no fault of their own, they only brought enough chicken to feed a few. Leaving the many, me included, salivating at the mouth every time the story of the carib-tamil poultry was mentioned.

S&Magic – wowzers. Mr & Mrs. Finally. I expected a huge difference – something that screamed out “look guys, we’ve changed” but thankfully, nothing has changed at all. Except for sharing the same destination, they’re both exactly the people they were before they became one. I’m overjoyed. They came, infused tones of life into the celebration and filled the house with joy. That’s usually the norm with those kids – they make certain that everyone is comfortable and having fun. Magic joined the familial unit a while ago and was discovered purely accidentally. And now, with the recent developments of international love affairs, the possibility of S becoming family is also very real. I can’t wait. I absolutely adore this couple – singularly and in their purest plural form.

My cousins showed up as well. A decision that we were wary of initially considering that we rarely make the effort to extend our hands in friendship. They’re great people and came out in good spirits. R was excited. And it was definitely a good time.

R’s R brought along a couple of his friends as well. The booze overflowed leading to much debaucherous verbiage, People bonded over Ballantines and Blue. I swear he’s the poster child for drinking too much too soon. And his determined behavior only makes it that much harder to keep our sanity alive. As always, R decided to live it up and act a fool. I’m just glad he did it in the company that was there that night. He got home safe, in one piece and happy. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

And then of course, my folks. As they age, I find them beginning to embrace all things collegial. They love having people over. Especially Tia & the baby, S& Magic – they absolutely adore it. I looked at my dad holding Tia’s little one and something tugged somewhere in the vicinity of my chest as I realized how lovely they both looked. Experience met innocence and a new connection was born. Dad’s smartly aged hands holding the super-soft bubblicious baby was too much to bear. I promise you dad, at some point, one of us (S is included in the us) will have one. And he/she will be all yours.

All in all, another well spent night. The food was awesome. B was missed, tremendously. He was there through the phone waves – enlightening us about the practices and etiquette of barbequing. And as he so eloquently suggested – a winter barbeque is definitely in the making.

For one moment in my life, I stepped off my annoying self and observed my familial unit. We’re blessed. So blessed to be surrounded by people – born with and hand picked- who emanate genuine goodness. People that you can count on at the best of times and the worst of times. People that don’t need shout outs because they will always know exactly how much they matter to each other. People who will be bound for life and blanketed by memories quilted collectively. I am so lucky…

And maybe some of that luck will rub off on me today. The agency is having an off-site golf day. 12 hours of bonding on a golf course. Sounds like fun? Sure it does. Until you factor all the golfing into the equation.

A review will follow – at some point in the near future.

Be blessed.