The Birthday that Wouldn't End and a Visit to Faux Bridgerton

I'm sorry. This really is the last birthday post.  Be prepared for LOTS of photos. 

It started on the actual morning of my birthday. I am not a morning person.  Yet, when I hear my daughter's car in the driveway, I get up, put on my robe and make breakfast for children. Grampa puts them on the bus.  My eyes were not in focus so I did not notice it was a little earlier than usual. I did notice some chaos in my living room and figured out that I was seeing the backs of three heads of similar sized people with similar colored hair where there should only be two.  

My oldest daughter (and my granddog Gary) drove one hour and forty five minutes to arrive at my house with donuts. My youngest daughter stopped at Dunkin for coffees and my 10 year old granddaughter (who is their height) and her little brother each brought me a dozen roses!  It was such a sweet surprise! 

He actually used a gift card from his late mother. Red Lobster and the Outback closed last week in that city and he is letting go of gift cards before anymore have to close. This was Texas Roadhouse. 

My husband took me out to lunch.  Because of time we ended up picking up fried chicken on the way home and fed the school people and ran uptown for the homecoming parade. The kids are big high school football fans.  I needed to get home for my beauty sleep because my best friend since 6th grade was taking me to a faux Bridgerton activity for charity. 

I was the lucky recipient of so many flowers that I was starting to think it could be a funeral parlor. 

Saturday started with thunderstorms which did affect the festivities. We waited an hour before arriving to wait out the storm and missed a Harlequin Production in a carriage house theater. In our defense, we never did get a real schedule of events. This was the first time this event was planned and things were a little confused.  Several people told us to go to the indoor Merry-go-round, but the doors were locked. We aren't sure if we missed it or went to the wrong door. This is a picture from Facebook so someone found the entrance. 

The same thing happened with ballroom dance lessons - we couldn't find the door. These videos were from the final presentation. 

There was a scavenger hunt of five shops to get a card stamped. We found one shop, the second had closed between the time the tickets were printed and now and it referred you to another location and we could not find any further locations. There was a card with the names of shops, but not street names.

The tea party was to be held in the garden and moved to an indoor public location.  The actual tea was a little sparse. 

We were directed to the fountain for photos but found that our middle ticket level did not include a photo. A very nice young man of about 10 years volunteered to take our photo with my phone and refused the payment we offered him. 

It was great fun walking around the downtown area of a city we were obviously unfamiliar with (see above) and we almost got the lay of the land.  We stopped at one of the many establishments for a refreshing cocktail. I enjoyed the "white diamond" while my friend sipped a "viscount".    

We did end up in a parking garage with murals and a temporary stage in time for the finale - a concert by the symphony orchestra and awards for (I believe "best dressed" and "diamond". 

I will now inflict a zillion photos of attendees upon my dearest readers. 90% of attendees were women.  My favorites were the two young couples, the young lady who was very pregnant whose sweet young hubby wore a waistcoat and accompanied and participated in everything with her and the other young mom, also in a blue dress, who was escorted to all activities by her husband in a shirt and cargo shorts and pushing or carrying her little son.  What good sports and how romantic!!!

And I have to mention that, as we were walking by the fountain, a large group of moms were taking pictures of a large group of young ladies in sequined mini dresses they were wearing to the homecoming dance.  One of the mom looked at my friend and I and yelled out -
"I know you - you are the Famous Birthday Girl."  I think my photoshoot made me famous. 

I wish they had had these two ladies step apart. This really was my favorite dress and they arrived separately. It is just gorgeous. Fun they met up for a photo.  

The charities that benefited from the ticket sales were a local theater and an organization which is assisting high school girls in hygiene and sanitary supply kits. 

This concludes my second costumed event.  We are not going to attend the huge Witches Walk in the neighboring city.  We have our tickets to my town's Witches Wander in October so I will be back with another dress-up event, lol. 

It's My Birthday!

 

Thanks to Mr Merry who stood to the side and tossed confetti as well as helped me up from the floor. 

Can I be more silly? I don't think so!

And - these photos have gotten hundreds of likes on my very popular photographer's Facebook page.  I guess every one likes a crazy lady!

2026 Mimi Camp Day Four of Four

When I orginially told you my plan for Mimi Camp, Thursday was going to be a day at Lake Erie. We were going to pack a picnic, drive to a beach - play at a playground and then go to a vintage diner for a very expensive and HUGE milkshake. 

Some wondered why I said no swimming. The beaches along the lake do not have life guards and do have drop offs. The last time we went swimming at the lake, which was Mimi Camp 2016 maybe?, there was a drowning at the very beach we were the week after our camp. No more swimming at the lake. 

Plans change. Overnight one of the campers was involved in an accident with an Ebike. I would like to say that my personal belief is that an Ebike is a motorcyle and I don't think they should be ridden by children. But I am not their parent. 

After a trip to urgent care and a transfer to a trauma center - the CT scan was clear and the wounds were dressed. I can't describe the elbow without crying, but I had to rebandage the road rash during the day and it was awful So awful. 

ANYWAY, this changed Day Four into a day of rest.  Temperatures were over 100 anyway, Mr Merry keeps the ac at 32 degrees (I think) and we have very good wifi. I decided it was a day without device rules.  

We painted some bird houses I just happened to have leftover from a previous camp. 

And Mr Merry was teaching them card games. 

I did not pick up anything in my living room until Friday. I did not see the point.  

And that was this year's Mimi Camp.  

2026 Mimi Camp Day Three of Four

 About an hour away from us in a much bigger city is a play center for children and teens. The past few years we had bought a grandparents pass for both of us and any grandchildren under 18. We thought we had outgrown trips there since the kids were so busy with sports in the summer and they were all in regular school now. 

Not so fast. Day three was spent at the Buckeye Imagination Museum in Mansfield. After purchasing the annual pass again, all activities were free! 

I will start with lunch in the area provided, then the side trip to the candy store across the street (I gave them all $5 to spend on whatever they wanted) and then finish with activity photos.  It was a great trip. They all loved it. And they were all very tired by the end of the day. 

They have a place for coolers and tables and chairs. I packed a picnic for us which is much cheaper than fast food. 

Who ever decided to put a candy store across the street was a very smart person. 

I gave them all a $5 bill and stood at the register to cover the sales tax. One did get an ice cream cone and another got something not on the fill a box for $5 wall. 

Now to the fun and games. 

This is an escape room with lasers.