they say it's your birthday; well, happy birthday to you
To be honest, I'm not even sure what the big deal is about turning eighteen. What's so different about that one-eight that makes people think you're officially qualified to be an adult, more so than you were yesterday? I've got two more years left of being a teenager, so it's not that. I mean, it just seems like a completely arbitrary number.
Not that I'm going to let that interfere with my party. Oh, yeah. I'm totally having a party. Because, see, unlike back in Ojai? Here I actually have people to invite to said party.
It's a team effort, in fact, this makeshift luau, one that Olive finds immensely satisfying in the weeks beforehand. With the help offered by her friends, arrangements have been easy, and as the sun begins to set on Monday night, everything's in place for the guests to arrive. She and Jessica have spent an extensive amount of time discussing exactly how to set the bonfire up, but up it does, in fact, go, a large, bright, fast-growing flame, but a safe one that forms the centerpiece of the party.
There's alcohol for those so inclined and a variety of juices to accompany the baked goods and various other small appetizers contributed by others or made by Olive herself, though she considers herself no great cook - that's one hobby she's yet to take on in earnest - and marshmallows from Jessica, laid out on tables the boys helped set up. With a lot of research, trial and error, Olive and Miranda have managed a string of paper lanterns hanging overhead, strung between posts around the area, and she's fervently hoping they actually will prove to be as flame-retardant as she thinks they are, and between them, she, Miranda, Annie and Grace have ensured there are enough flower leis for everyone (not real flowers, to Olive's disappointment, but she couldn't get them to hold or keep from wilting, and the fabric final results are just as colorful and longer-lasting) and cups carved from coconut halves (Annie's idea). Thanks to Neil (and occasionally Roger Davis), music is playing, and as Olive steps back to survey the results, she can't help being just a little smug. She may not have much experience with throwing parties, but all the separate components, she can do, and thanks to that and her friends, they've really come together.
[Any and all friends and acquaintances of Olive are welcome. You can assume she's mentioned this to them and said they can bring a ~plus one. Likewise, since it's in a public place - on the beach just beyond her house - anyone who'd be in the area is welcome to stop by and see what's up. ST/LT welcome through the next few days, and the party will go on through the evening. :D]
Not that I'm going to let that interfere with my party. Oh, yeah. I'm totally having a party. Because, see, unlike back in Ojai? Here I actually have people to invite to said party.
It's a team effort, in fact, this makeshift luau, one that Olive finds immensely satisfying in the weeks beforehand. With the help offered by her friends, arrangements have been easy, and as the sun begins to set on Monday night, everything's in place for the guests to arrive. She and Jessica have spent an extensive amount of time discussing exactly how to set the bonfire up, but up it does, in fact, go, a large, bright, fast-growing flame, but a safe one that forms the centerpiece of the party.
There's alcohol for those so inclined and a variety of juices to accompany the baked goods and various other small appetizers contributed by others or made by Olive herself, though she considers herself no great cook - that's one hobby she's yet to take on in earnest - and marshmallows from Jessica, laid out on tables the boys helped set up. With a lot of research, trial and error, Olive and Miranda have managed a string of paper lanterns hanging overhead, strung between posts around the area, and she's fervently hoping they actually will prove to be as flame-retardant as she thinks they are, and between them, she, Miranda, Annie and Grace have ensured there are enough flower leis for everyone (not real flowers, to Olive's disappointment, but she couldn't get them to hold or keep from wilting, and the fabric final results are just as colorful and longer-lasting) and cups carved from coconut halves (Annie's idea). Thanks to Neil (and occasionally Roger Davis), music is playing, and as Olive steps back to survey the results, she can't help being just a little smug. She may not have much experience with throwing parties, but all the separate components, she can do, and thanks to that and her friends, they've really come together.
[Any and all friends and acquaintances of Olive are welcome. You can assume she's mentioned this to them and said they can bring a ~plus one. Likewise, since it's in a public place - on the beach just beyond her house - anyone who'd be in the area is welcome to stop by and see what's up. ST/LT welcome through the next few days, and the party will go on through the evening. :D]