well i am back among my happy friends in ck land! i missed spending half my days here this weekend... the party was a great success with ralph not totally surprised by the festivities, but at least totally shocked by the enormity of the celebration.

we had houseguest for the weekend. they were really here for ralph's party, but coincidently, ann's brother's birthday is august 6th. her brother lives in nyc, but whenever ann and carl visit ny for the opera (big opera buffs) they stay with us. therefore it made perfect sense for them to be with us. jack, their almost 3 year old son was also with them. and here is where my tangled web began to unravel.

on friday, i had spent the better part of the day and evening locked in my office trying to put together photo boards for the party. i told ralph that he wasn't allowed in the room until after sunday. of course he knew something was up, but he assumed it was for the fake bbq i had invented to throw him off the track. now usually i am the first person to put these things together for other people, but a certain website (ahem) has completely distracted me from starting this project at least 2 weeks ago, like i should have. by 9:30 pm i was totally exhausted, not even 1/2 way done scanning the photos and hungry because i hadn't eaten nearly 1/2 my calories for the day. at that point i headed downstairs for a quick break and some food.

ralph and carl were in the den watching a movie while ann was in the guest room trying to get jack to go to sleep. he was excited from the long drive down from vermont and just being here in our home; the true epitome of a kid in a candy store as he enjoyed the sites and sounds of his new surroundings. it took him a while to settle down and we got the subtle "keep things quiet message" while ann was coaxing him to sleep. this fact was on my mind as i walked in to the den to say hello to the boys. and here is where i stumbled. i casually asked carl if "all the people coming back to the house tomorrow night would be an issue with getting jack to sleep, especially if we start dancing." in the back of my mind i was thinking that no one better expect me to keep people quiet at the house or change the plan of having everyone back after the restaurant. as i finished the sentence it dawns on me what i had just done. after almost 2 months of telling white lies and keeping the date a secret, i just blew it in 30 seconds! carl responded that it wouldn't be an issue because jack loves a party. i tried to recover while holding ralph's hand who sat calmly on the couch without reacting to what i had just said to carl. i ended the mess i made with something like "oh what am i saying, you will be gone before the bbq sunday afternoon so jack won't be trying to nap during the festivities." I had no idea if I had gotten away with it. ralph didn't react at all so i couldn't tell if he was completely oblivious or just pretending to be. turns out my beloved was laughing on the inside the whole time with an "aha" just waiting to explode from his "i gotcha" satisfied brain!!! thankfully, he didn't let on and i was able to believe in my deception until after the surprise.

the restaurant owner and staff went out of their way to be accommodating and everyone had a terrific time. reno, the owner had brought in a special guest server to be our head waiter. his name was elso, and he was a dream; so attentive and kept everything flowing beautifully. one of my girlfriends asked me if she could take him home! the food was plentiful and luscious. reno gave me a great deal for a saturday night and i couldn't have expected anything more. we had put together a 5 course menu for dinner (plus bruschetta during the cocktails before ralph and i arrived)

here's the menu:

L’ Antipasto
(served family style)

Antipasto di Montagna – assorted cold Italian appetizers
Antipasto Caldo – assorted hot Italian appetizers
Calamari Fritti – fried calamari

Il Primo

Rigatoni al Filetto di Pomodoro
pasta tubes with fresh tomato and chopped bacon

Il Secondo
Your choice of:

Pollo al Marsala
boneless chicken breast sautéed in marsala wine and mushrooms

Vitello alla Capricciosa
breaded veal with chopped tomatoes, onions, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Tilapia alla Mugnaia
fresh tilapia sautéed in lemon, butter and white wine sauce

Bistecca alla Griglia
grilled New York steak

Il Dolce

Frutta Fresca
assorted fresh fruit

La Torta di Compleanno Italiana
Italian birthday cake

Gelato di Nocciola
hazelnut ice cream

Caffè Assortiti
coffee, espresso and cappuccino

Bevande
vino bianco , vino rosso, birra (domestica), soda


everyone ate for 3 hours except me. i missed a couple of the course because i was busy socializing and saying hello. i did have the tilapia for my main course and managed to eat that. i "tasted" a bit of everything else and knew that everyone was correct in saying the food was outrageous. of course i knew that in advance or i wouldn't have selected the place.

on sunday morning, when i tried to log in my calories, i was right on target and i was pleased with that. i can't say the same for yesterday though. perhaps it was the letdown after all the planning and the fact that my routine was completely out of whack, but i didn't have much self control especially at dinner. we went out (of course) and i just ate what i wanted to eat; not copious amounts, but more than i had eaten at a meal for a long time. needless to say it didn't agree with me and i had to make several bathroom pit stops throughout the night.

but here i am! it's monday morning and i am ready to get right back on track. i don't regret what i eat yesterday. i am happy to know i could fall off the wagon and not even blink an eye trying to get back up. speaking of getting back up, i forgot to mention that i fell down a couple of steps on thursday night. carrying several things in my hand, the dimness of the hall lights and the partially missing banister because of the closet we built combined to make a disaster waiting to happen. i simply missed the bottom step and went tumbling forward towards the window at the bottom of the stairs. through my efforts to not fall to the ground, i managed to turn myself around and my head and back went into the window. i thought it was a fairly hard hit from the force of my forward motion and all i could think about was the glass shattering and me falling out the window. it wouldn't have been a huge drop, but it's not something you want to happen either. luckily i simply bounced off the window and slipped to the floor as i lost my footing. Wow was i scared. i stayed on the floor for about 30 seconds while i gathered my thoughts and did a mental scan to see if there were any broken body parts (there weren’t) and then i grabbed on to the window sill and pulled myself up. I was banged up a bit but was able to right myself with ease. i think that had i fallen 3 months ago, before working out and losing a few pounds put me in better shape, i would have been hurt more and perhaps on the floor until my husband came home from work. i was amazed and how easy it was to get off the floor.

so this morning i am thankful for many things; my wonderful husband and the success of his grand party; the capability i now have to over indulge one day and get right back on track the next; and last, but certainly not least my body and all its bones still intact! Oh yes, and thank you to the CK community at large. I wouldn't have succeeded in any of this if it weren't for you. (OK , well i might have been able to pull the party off without you guys, but i will give you a little credit.)

this is my blog today. no poems or prose, just words. I hope you enjoyed them and have a wonderful day!!!!

the photo: one of the photo boards that took me 8 hours to make!!!