Pandemic Week 129: Happy Sweet 16!

 September 4th marked Anna's 16th birthday!  It is always nice to have your birthday on a holiday weekend and this year was no exception, including no school on Friday.  Anna had an action-packed day 

As luck would have it, Hamilton was playing at the Kennedy Center.  Anna and Theresa had watched the show on Disney with the original cast (Anna knows all of the songs), which was impressive.  The live performance was even better.  As an added bonus, Pauletta and Grayson joined for the show.  Pauletta also knows all of the songs.  Grayson was not nearly as excited as the rest of the group (it should be noted that Grayson is in 7th grade).  The group also enjoyed lunch beforehand at Pauletta and Theresa's usual brunch spot.  Actually, they learned that there is no longer brunch which was quite disappointing BUT they still had good food (much has changed since the pandemic).  In the meantime, Pauletta has found a new musical buddy in Anna.  The girls are already eyeing the next show (Grayson is not volunteering for that one).

Following the show, Anna and Theresa raced home before the party guests arrived.  Anna's birthday tradition is a pizza party with her dad making pizza and her mom making some sort of an experimental cake.  Joe once again served up the pizza, for which he is famous with Anna's friends.  Theresa came up with an ice cream cake that included coffee ice cream and fudge sauce (all homemade).  Anna also made some snickerdoodle cupcakes that looked professionally done (much better than Theresa's cake).  So, what do 12 16-years Olds do at a party?  Well, in this case they did presentations.  That's right - everyone brought power point presentations for the group on a topic of their choosing.  Some of the topics included:

  • Which of the friends will survive the hunger games?
  • Promoting a favorite tv show
  • Which squishy stuffed animal looks like a member of the group (a photo would show up and the group would vote).

There was lots of laughter coming from the basement.  Joe and Theresa were puzzling over how power point has now become a form of entertainment, but it seemed to work.  There were other games and laughter and a good time seemed to have by all.  Anna received a lot of stuffed animals from her friends and various items related to anime and K-Pop (Anna can give you a lesson this).  Anna also received a lot of calls and messages from family (Note - if you called, emailed or texted but have not heard from Anna, you are not alone.  Unless you are on her friend group chat, expect it will take at least a week before you hear from her.  This also applies to her parents).

The other event of the weekend is the closing of the pool on Monday.  Anna worked a lot this week and her final shift on Sunday afternoon.  She was not thrilled to have her parents hanging out taking pictures and otherwise providing commentary.  It is safe to say she is glad the pool season is over.

Happy Birthday Anna!







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