Huh?

I went to a friend's birthday party recently. It was her 40th birthday and she wanted it to be really special. So first she had a tea party at her house. She wanted everybody to wear dresses and hats. She borrowed some beautiful china from a friend/guest and had a beautiful luncheon. Her niece was late getting there and she wanted to wait for her, so, while we arrived at 3:30, we did not sit down to the tea until about 5:00. The niece still had not shown up. The tea, sandwiches, etc., was very nice. Then she wanted everyone to walk down the "runway" and show off what they were wearing and be "critiqued". I didn't want to do this, so another lady volunteered to go at the same time. I walked up, down, and sat down, then went to look for something in my car. The niece still had not arrived. My friend had made reservations at a restaurant in Valencia for dinner. At the Rio Rio Brazilian Restaurant. For 8:00. Well, it was after 6:00 by this time. No niece. So we waited. Because she finally called her niece and she said she was on her way. So we couldn't leave before she got there! She wanted everyone to listen to a song and then pray. So we did. Then she wanted us to have cake. Some did. I was still too full from the tea, so no cake. She also wanted to have everyone put their name on a piece of paper to draw a name for the two gifts she had bought as presents for guests. So we all put our names on little pieces of paper. Folded them in half and put them in a hat box. She then proceeded to shake it up for the next ten minutes, saying that she could not pick the name because she was the one giving the gifts. So, I took the box from her, mixed up the names and lifted it up above her head. She put her hand in and pulled out a paper. She unfolded it and looked at it. She laughed and said she should have taken the first one she touched on top, but she figured I had put my own on top so that I would get the prize. (in other words, saying I was trying to cheat) Hmm. I know she sometimes says things that she doesn't really mean, so I let it go. BUT, she had said that AFTER she looked at the name she drew. So she was also telling my friend that had come with me (I introduced the two of them) that she didn't want to draw her name. HMM! Well, my other friend is very sensitive to begin with, but this was just not very nice. So she says, "Well, if you don't want me to have it, then fine. I won't take it! I will just give it to Amy!" I said I didn't want it and wanted nothing to do with this, and Friend #1 says, "You can't give it to someone else! It's a gift! That's rude!" Look who's calling who rude! So my Friend #2 gets upset (understandably so) and says she is ready to leave. She is supposed to go to the dinner place. I finally got her calmed down and she agreed to still go. When Friend #1 realized she said things that weren't very nice, instead of apologizing, she just said to another person, "Well, I have said something to everybody...I called you anal retentive!" Friend #2 ended up leaving the gift in my car. She didn't want to take it. So, I gave it to my mother-in-law. She said she really liked it.

So then she draws the second name. It is my neighbor up the street who had already left earlier. Everybody tells her to draw another name, of someone who is there still. She looks at me and my other friend and says, "I would draw another name, but YOU TWO would tell her, wouldn't you?" I raised my hands in the air and said, "I am not saying a thing!" My friend goes in the bathroom and doesn't come out for like ten minutes. And Friend #1 is asking me if she is upset about what she said earlier. I never got an apology from her for accusing me of trying to cheat.

So, it's like 7:00 now. Still no niece. There were nine of us there for tea. Five of us were going to the restaurant. Friend #1 didn't want to drive. Her sister-in-law from Boston didn't want to drive. She wanted me to drive. But she wanted to be at the restaurant in Valencia until 2am. I wanted to be in bed asleep at 2am. And well before that. So I told her, which was true, that my car was so full of junk at the moment that I could only take three people. Myself included. So I took Friend #2 and we got in my car and Friend #1, her sister-in-law and the piano teacher (who she talked into driving #1's car) all got in the other car. We drove through the canyon. We left her house at 7:40pm. We got to the Rio Rio at 8:30. For an 8:00 reservation. No niece. We were seated at a reserved table (for eight people). As soon as we were seated, she says we should wait for her niece and maybe just have some drinks. I said no. Sister-in-law said no. Piano teacher says no. They have a salad bar and side dishes and the servers come around to the tables with 14 kinds of meats on swords. Whichever ones you want to try, they cut off a portion and put it on your plate. They stop serving dinner at 10:00pm. It was 8:45pm already. NO, we are not waiting for your niece! And they have this show that goes on starting at 9:00 and they close up the salad bar and don't serve food during the shows, so you have to wait to eat again. So the waiter comes over and explains that it is $40 for the dinner and show. Friend #2 is a vegetarian. There wasn't much for her to eat. They finally talked the manager into letting her have the meal, with no meat, for $34, which is the mid-week price. Not exactly a bargain, but what can you do? She DID enjoy the show, though and didn't seem upset with the price. At about 9:00pm, who shows up? The NIECE! No explanation. No apology. Just here I am. Oh my gosh!!! So here we are eating and the show is going on and we are sitting on the dance floor. I was seated like three feet from the dancers. These dancers don't have very many clothes on. I am not sure you can call what they are wearing clothes. They made Las Vegas showgirls look overdressed. Little tiny costumes. And when you are that close, where are you supposed to look? It was noisy and I didn't really enjoy it knowing that I was spending so much money. Well, by 10:30pm we finally got the waiter to bring the bills and (remember we were at a table reserved for 8?) with the 18% gratuity included and 8.25% tax, for dinner and water the total was $50.49. For just me. One person. Food only. I didn't think it was all that great. Hubby would probably have enjoyed the show. I didn't. Knowing I would rather be with him and that it cost all that money. And the girls hadn't wanted me to leave and I would have to drive home and it was a long way home.

Well, we finally got out of there at 10:45pm and home by 11:45pm. Took the freeway, because who wants to drive the canyon at that time of the night. The piano teacher came with us. I don't know who drove the other car back home, my friend or her sister-in-law. Neither wanted to drive. She had originally wanted to hire a limo and have everyone divide the cost. Yeah, I don't think so. I told her that was a bad idea. But at that time I thought it was going to be $34 total for the dinner.

It was an interesting birthday party. But here is the funniest part of all. She didn't tell us until we were at the restaurant.

This party took place about three weeks ago. June 30.

Her birthday was in March.