And Another...Four

I exaggerated last week when I said there were a lot of birthdays. THIS week there were a lot of birthdays. Anela and Bry clicked past another year on the odometer of life, and their parties couldn't have been in more stark contrast to eachother.
We celebrated Anela's with a Spa Night, where the dining room was converted into a first class haven of relaxation and rejuvenation. Face masks, massages, hair cuts and nail polishing each had a station, and one could wander lazily from one comfortable location to another, employing the hands of their peers in applying each. The guys even indulged themselves a little, getting in touch with their inner desire for some good pampering. Of course, it was Anela's party, so she was given the right to ask anybody to do anything for her that evening, and they had to do it. Relatively speaking.



Bry's party, on the following day, was a slightly different affair. Paintballing is what we did, and pain is what we felt. It was guys against gals in this fight to the death, and while this guy would hate to complain, it's no rumour that the girls' guns were turned up just a little. The ensuing carnage left its share of welts and bruised egos, leaving some wanting more, and others quite satisfied.



On Tuesday, it was Laura's turn. Forever looking for reasons to dress up, we announced that we would be hosting a 'euro trash' fashion show. Big hair, gaudy sunglasses and popped collars were in style for this fashion show, and our resident photographer covered every angle of the runway spectacle. A quick dance rounded out the evening, and the cake of the day had the final word. Well, actually God and Nature homework had the real final word.



Bret, our God and Nature professor, had the good fortune of being here during his birthday. Again and again, he pronounced his disdain for birthday parties where he is the star, but we knew couldn't do nothing . So we went for minimalist on his Friday birthday: the group got together at a local sports field and played some good old fashioned soccer and ultimate frisbee. Of course we offered him a rousing rendition of 'happy birthday' as well. Which, I might add, we are getting very good at.

Oh, and of course THANKSGIVING! We celebrated this feast day on Thursday, and filled our bellies with wonderful delights. Students made their favourite treat from home, and were forever wondering if their concoctions would 'match up' to their grandma's. Whether they did or didn't, everybody left with satisfied taste buds and stomachs.

A Birthday and a Birthday

An air of celebratory gladness pervades the convent air these days as birthday after birthday each begs for its own special notice. Once the brainstorming begins, there's no limit to the ridiculousness that could ensue. Rachel's birthday party fell upon everyone's favourite holiday devoted to candy; Halloween. Nobody turned down the offer to dress up in a costume, and the array of characters, from the traditional to the completely original, made the whole night one big photo opportunity. Those favourite decades of the past were given a nod by those girls dressing in their hippy and 80's garb. Juliette went for earthy with her rendition of a tree. The staff thought they would be funny by dressing up as 'figures of speech'...
Rachel's love for apples and dancing would dictate what happened throughout the evening, so we began with an apple carving contest, with caramel and peanut butter used as glue/dip. As soon as Rachel judged the winner, DJ Matt started the music and the dining hall/art exhibit transformed itself into dance floor. This may just be hearsay, but apparently statements like 'best birthday ever', and 'best night of my life' were being thrown about.




The next honouree would be Tommy, who, we hear, is into video games like Winnie is into honey. A video-game themed party was the plan, and the cookie just seemed to crumble in the right way for this to happen. The labyrinth that had been created for the previous community night (more on that later??), lent itself very well to a life-size version of PacMan. So with a few extra paths carved in it, the maze was set for the game, and PacMan (aka Tommy) ran about collecting paua shells and trying not to get caught by the ghosts (aka his 'friends'). MarioKart followed, and participants wheelbarrowed, scootered and jump-roped around the course, collecting items from the mystery boxes and either hurling a lemon, getting a boost, or getting a star. Our own version of Mortal Kombat, involving popping the balloons attached to your opponent rounded out the evening, and worked up that last bit of appetite for the deliciousness that awaited us. That is, the dirt cake. mmmmm

Our Own Backyard