Carter’s 16th Birthday Party

I’ve never actually written my blog on my phone before so please forgive any major or minor typos as I attempt this.

Russ and I are sitting on the corner of a French Restaurant trying to drag out our dinner over the course of Carter’s three hour birthday party at the same establishment. 25 of Carter’s nearest and dearest are seated in a private room and it is killing me not to be allowed to eavesdrop on her party.

Long gone are the days of snow princess birthday parties where little little girls dressed in their Disney Princess costumes twirled in our play room. Now boys and girls sit at long tables engrossed in cocktail conversation sans the alcohol. In all actuality this is the easiest birthday party I have ever thrown.

I spent the last 24 hours in Charlotte watching Carter play two incredibly tough basketball teams. This was the first team road trip. Just like this party I was relegated to being an unnecessary fly on the wall. The team took a bus down Friday afternoon and I drove alone in my car arriving at the first school to discover my friend Roberta had come because the team brought her daughter Grace up from JV to help the team since one of their Captains was away at a conference.

After watching our girls lose Carter came and gave me a hug before going off with the team. Roberta and I went to have a late dinner together in advance of retiring to the hotel where the team was also staying. I noticed the girls in the corner of the lobby having a team meeting while I checked in. I did what I was not supposed to do and went to say hello, then went to my room.

While I was snuggled in my big bed writing my blog Carter texted me that she was going to take a shower and then come say good night before turning in at the coach appointed hour of eleven o’clock. It was nice she even thought to visit me since I was not going to be seeing her again until 1:00 today when I showed up at the next school for an even tougher game. Although they were playing the past five year state champs with a six foot three inch sophomore, Carter played her best defense of the season.

My reward and purpose for driving and staying alone was to get Carter back to Durham as fast as possible so she could prepare for her party.

And here we sit. The kids all seem to be having a great time, as they report to me on their way past my table to use the facilities. Russ told me that there are old risqué french postcards on the wall of the men’s room, but so far the boys have not made a big deal about that and have remained at the tables talking to the real life girls.

Aa the mother of a sixteen year old Russ and I are relegated to being the payers. I guess this is exactly what we have been working for.