It Was Really Howlin' in Howland Today

We celebrated Amy Marie's birthday this afternoon (Unlike Kendal, it is today) at Dan and Laura's (Sweeney) house in Howland Township, OH (Outside of Warren). We had breaded chicken on the bone, rigatoni, meatballs, salad, rolls, among other things. Most of the food came from a restaurant that I will reveal as soon as I e-mail Dan and Laura to find out the information. (6-28-08: I only e-mailed Laura and learned that the food came from The Wave restaurant in Sharon, PA.) The food was appetizing.

I believe that the attendance level ranks about the same, if not more than Kendal's party last Sunday. The guest list among my family included Kathleen, Patty, Tim, Maggie, Dan Sr., Patrick, Amy, David, Lois, Mike Schabel, Mandy, Aunt Rita, and her son Johnny. In addition, Dan Sr.'s Mom, two brothers, (Of Dan Sr.) and at least two nieces (Cousins of Dan Jr.) were also there. Not to be outdone, the Graham (Laura's Kin) family was well represented. Outside of relatives, some of Dan Jr.'s co-workers as well as Sue (Laura's maid of honor at her wedding) were present as well.

The weather was nice, though we had some breezes. The party was indoors and outdoors. Thankfully, there was plenty of space indoors, although there were some minor "obstacles" that were partially avoided with shortcuts. I can't imagine all these people at the old house in Chardon, OH (The attendance today outranked Amy Marie's Baptism) since shortcuts were practically nonexistent, and the new house is a lot larger, though I'll miss the old house and its traditional charm.

Speaking of charm, Dan Sr. accompanied the singers on his guitar as we sang "Happy Birthday." Amy Marie had an individual birthday cake. (Kendal also had the same deal last year.) The cake (for all of us) was from Giant Eagle. (Pittsburgh based grocery store chain, but with a large presence in NE Ohio, Toledo, Columbus, and other areas) It met my expectations. Eventually, Laura opened up Amy Marie's presents and cards. It was mostly toys. She received a few of the same things. I had a brief moment of inspiration, but since there are so many toys out there, and people like to shop at a variety of stores, I decided that a gift registry would be quite "mindboggling." However, the value of gift cards has been clearly illustrated. By the way, Bob and I gave Amy Marie a Toys 'R' Us/Babies 'R' Us card. We sent Kendal a Kay Bee Card for her birthday (Bob wouldn't let me send a card without a present. I'll slip the coupons for baby products that I was going to give Kendal at her party in Marnie's birthday card that I'll send her this week. It should be in "safer hands." If you've read the Kendal-Hayden blog, you may get the humor. (This applies to people who don't know Marnie. In reality, she is a wonderful niece.)

In closing, today's party was a really fun event. It allowed me to reacquaint myself with Patrick, Amy (My niece, not the baby), and David, and to a lesser extent to some other people. It allowed me to see the new house. I'll see more of it as time goes on, but I am impressed. I hope that tomorrow's more "adult" party for Kathleen's birthday will be just as entertaining. Tune in to find out.