Edward was kind enough to stop by and hand out leis. I was hoping he might get a tan, but, alas, he just sparkled.
The weather was pure perfection--highly cooperative. We got the backyard all decked out with cheesy decorations and tiki torches.
Whoa, whoa...what's this guy doing in our girl pic?? Just kidding, Tyler. You put on a cheesy lei, so you remain in my good graces.
The party peeps
I especially like this picture, because it shows my beach baby bump!
We had quite the crowd--over 60 people. It was wild, especially with 25 of those 60 people being kids.
Dobbie was in kid/food thieving heaven. He also tried to eat the decorations. Oh, furry baby.
Our dear friend Alyssa had to miss the party to have her gallbladder removed. These are our sad faces for her. Oh, wait, Sharla looks quite happy. At least I look sad.
With J-Bird
On to the food--oh, the food. So very tasty.
If you make this, you will want to run the crockpots in the garage. The liquid smoke permeates the air for hours on end, and your house will smell for days.
Here are the recipes for the luau--I planned on serving about 60 people if you want to know the quantities.
Kalua pork in the crockpot: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kalua-Pig-in-a-Slow-Cooker/Detail.aspx
Hawaiian style coleslaw: http://lotsofinfo.tripod.com/S10wonderfulovernightslaw.htm
Pina Colada Salad: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pina-Colada-Salad/Detail.aspx#
Tropical Punch: http://lotsofinfo.tripod.com/xB18tropicpunch.htm
I also served sticky rice, and chips and mango salsa. Coconut macaroons for dessert.
I had beachy tunes spinning all night as well. Here is my Rock-a-Hula Playlist from the evening:
The Mostess Does Rock-a-Hula
Wipeout-Surfaris
Surfin USA-Beach Boys
The Tide is High--Blondie
Hot Hot Hot--Buster Poindexter
La Bamba--Don Ho
Blue Hawaii---Elvis
Calhoun Surf--Los Straitjackets
Good Vibrations--Beach Boys
Rock a Hula Baby--Elvis
Mambo Number Five--Lou Bega
Montego Bay--Fredddie Notes
Surfer Girl--Beach Boys
Bang on the Drum All Day--Todd Rundgren
Iko Iko--Dixie Cups
Kokomo/California Girls--Beach Boys
Day-O--Harry Belafonte
Cheeseburger in Paradise/Margaritaville--Jimmy Buffett
Rock Lobster--B-52's
Surfer Girl--Beach Boys
I Can See Clearly Now--Jimmy Cliff
E Le Ka Lei Lei--Don Ho
Copacabana--Barry Manilow
Chica Alborotada/Pascifica--Los Straitjackets
Tequila Sunrise--The Champs
Hawaii 5-0--The Ventures
Hula Hula--Glen Honeycutt
Lovesong--311
KU U I Po--Elvis
Red Red Win--UB40 or Steel Drum Band
Oh What a Night--Four Seasons
Jammin--Bob Marley
Thanks to everyone who came out! Many apologies if your kid is the one Lance yelled "hey, kids--get out of here...and don't come back!!" In his defense, they were rifling through his closet. Hang ten, peeps!After that excitement, we decided to unwind with a day in Tiburon. Again, the weather was cooperative, and the bay was in tip top shape.
I started out the day rockin the Bump-It Tinger gave me for my birthday. Lovely, yes?
Unbeknownst to us, it was Opening Day on the Bay, which is the official start to the SF sailing season.
It was mostly awesome, but it brought out guido's galore--hello Jersey Shore! Please do not wear man jewelry on the open water. We do NOT approve of such things in California.
I had a delicious curry chicken salad that was quite tasty. I had my heart set on a crab stack, but the crowds had cleaned out all of the seafood before we arrived. Boo.
After lunch, we walked along the water, and checked out this cool old church from the 1800's.
For my actual birthday, we stayed classy and went to Outback Steakhouse, where I promptly ordered a ginorm plate of King crab legs. They were so tasty.
One of the reasons I love this fake Australian restaurant is because they have a gluten-free brownie sundae on their menu that is so delicious. Plus, it prevented me from having to bake my own cake, and I'm short on time and energy these days. Win-win.
After dinner, we headed home to open presents. Lance was quite creative in his "wrapping" this year--it included a sheet over a stack of presents. He would ask me "small, medium or big?" and I would answer. Then he would whip the sheet off the stack and yell "Viola!!" before presenting me with the unwrapped giftie. It worked--we're tired people.Lance, a true Magic Man
Lancer forgot that he got one of the gifts wrapped by the company--he was mad when I opened the box to find the cute wrapping.
He did very well in the gifting department. Here's this year's booty:
Those weird Skecher's shoes that firm up your booty and legs
An ultrasonic jewelry cleaner--also good for watches and glasses. I'm so excited about this--I'm old.
A prenatal massage, much needed, greatly appreciated
And my favorite gift of all--the retro red stainless steel cooler for my outdoor parties!! I have been looking for this baby for 2 years now. I'm so glad I found it, and that it's currently sitting in my living room waiting to be assembled. Hint-hint.
I also planned a dinner in SF with my friends @ Zadin, this amazing gluten-free Vietnamese place. It's the only place I can order friend eggrolls, calamari, and onion rings. This is a big deal to me, especially during a birthday week.
We were also celebrating the engagement of my adorable friend, Mallory. Congrats, girl! We love you, and your cute boy, even if you were super cheesy at my Halloween party last year!We all took pictures of us wearing her ring. The real deal is in the middle.
After dinner, we sauntered down to Bi-Rite for some salted carmel ice-cream. One quart, 4 spoons, 4 happy girls.
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful birthday celebrations!! Especially the kids that got yelled at, and the guidos who made me never want to visit that other coast. 34 is shaping up to be quite a year!Is anyone even still reading this? This is the longest post in the history of posts.
