Three days, three parties. That's how we roll. It made for a lot of cooking and a lot of dishes, but on the good side, the house was already rearranged and clean.

We totally cleared out the living room, John put together a great set list, and we had a dance party in honor of my birthday. I wore my fabulous blue dress (which David said looked pretty but felt crinkly) and pearls. We had amazing brownies with York peppermint patties baked into them and lots of variations on the chip theme. I think my favorite part was teaching swing dance to all the kids. Well, to be fair, all the girls. The boys ran around outside with plastic guns.

But we had a living room full of kids, old friends, and dance buddies, dancing. We did swing, zydeco, and a touch of blues. When your honey is the d.j., every song is one of your favorites. I had a lovely time.