Splash-tastic Party

I did my usual bank-Farm Market-yard sale run this morning. I actually made some terrific yard sale finds, for once. One multi-family yard sale yielded a folksy sunflower-and-heart plaque and LPs for Bonnie Raitt, Areatha Franklin, Eric Clapton, The Blues Brothers, and Bette Midler. Another had Sailor Moon items; I ended up with one of those Play-and-Sound kids' books and a nifty motor-scooter-type vehicle intended for the smaller 1997 dolls. Their neighbor had a real vintage Rainbow Brite doll. She was missing her belt but was otherwise perfectly intact. I finally got two pants for work from the thrift shop. The waistbands were a bit stretched on both pants, but they're also size 16s. A yard sale in Collingswood had 70s Wilton cake decorating books like my mom's. I managed to find copies of the paperback 1976 and 1978 Wilton cake decorating books, neither of which Mom had.

The Farm Market was busy as always. I picked up strawberries, turnips, bread, bananas, an onion, pumpkin butter for my friend Erica, and the first cherries of the season. I had a quick, simple lunch of Farm Market cherries and strawberries, yogurt, and bread when I got home, then went to Erica's to drop off her pumpkin butter and card and to Dad's to join him and Jodie for the trip to Washington Township for Taylere's graduation party. (We picked up Jessa from her art class on the way.)

The party was a lot of fun. I met Karen, Jim, and Taylere's relatives from Minnesota (where Karen was born and Jim lived for many years) and their adorable kids. Karen and Jim have a pool. It's smaller than Uncle Ken's, but it's newer and it has a nifty little rock-like waterfall. Everyone had a blast playing with the floats and each other in the pool. Dad loves pools. He actually threw me at one point! Only the threat of a thunderstorm and the lure of Jim's badminton net finally got the last of the little boys out.

Tay, Jessa, and I played tag and hide-and-seek with some of the little kids after dinner, but by that point, it was becoming obvious that a thunderstorm was on its way. Ever-neurotic Karen went ballistic getting all of the things in the pool and on the patio rounded up and indoors. After we'd cleared the area, several adults (and a few kids until the thunder became obvious) sat or stood on the patio steps and watched the storm roll in.

I joined Tay, Jess, and Taylere's only little girl cousin in a coloring book session and talked with various mothers around the room. (The dads were all watching golf; the little boys were watching the Steve Martin Pink Panther on their portable DVD players after attempting to play with a plastic ball indoors.) A couple of the little kids joined Tay, Jess, and me for an episode of Digimon before Dad decided that the storm had abated long enough for us to head home.

I had a really fun day. I still felt a little awkward around the adults, being the only 30-something adult there without kids, but everything went very well and I really enjoyed it. Karen, Jim, Taylere, and their toddler son C.J are really cool people. We went to their house for Easter, too.