How to Host an 18th Birthday Party and A Hot Start to Cryclocross Season

This past Saturday we hosted a birthday party for Ethan and about 30 of his closest friends. It was a good mix. We had kids here from 14 to about 25 years of age. That meant that we needed a lot of food.

Here's what you need for a party like ours: * 36 bottles of Coke (Mexican Coke, if you can get your hands on it. Being made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, it tastes better and is less bad for you.) * 12 cans of Doctor Pepper * 24 bottles of Water * 6 batches of Rice Crispy Treats ( regular straight up RCT, RCT with sprinkles and small candy mixed in and Cocoa Pebbles RCT. These take the place of cake - what kid doesn't love those? * 45 Hot Dogs * 50 Hot Dog Buns * 5# Chili (Hormel is best) * 5# Nacho Cheese * 4 Family Size Bags of Chips (Lays Regular, Lays Sour Cream andChives, Doritos, and BBQ chips) * 2 bags Tortilla Chips * Ketsup * Mustard * Relish * 1 bag of M & Ms Here's what you do to have fun: * Talk * Eat * Hook up computer speakers and play music from your Ipod * Take the pop bottles out of the steel tub that holds some of the drinks and have a contest to see who can hold their breath while their head is submerged in ice water for the longest (very popular - go figure!) * Do a handstand, have a buddy hold up your legs and dunk the top of your head in previously mentioned ice water (really now...) * Take off your shirts and compare muscles (guys only. Girls shake their heads and walk away) * Many rounds of arm wrestling * Climb the rope tied to the swing in the tree (best if done without your shirt on, again, guys only) * Longboard/Skateboard in the street in front of the house (taking turns nicely, of course) * Suck helium out of the ballons and talk funny * Eat more * Talk more * Play "Rock Band" * Take the very large excerise ball, have one person hold it and have another person playing. Have them run into each other and see who is still standing, or is withou an injured forehead * Have a fire in the fire pit * Relax * Eat more * Chat * Have some of them stay the night. The others go home pretty late into the evening. * Be okay, happy actually, that various groups of friends form smaller groups and enjoy each other's company. Being happy that everyone seems to have found good people to hang out with. If you are the birthday boy then you rotate through, making sure to spend time with everyone. * Stay up really late, trying to be not too loud The next morning Ellie had her first race of the cyclocross season.

She never wants to miss a chance to hang out with her cycling friends.

She started to feel sick during the race, even puking a bit in the second lap, but she kept on and finished the race.

She won an alien head light for her bike. It has eyes that flash read. She thinks it is cool! After the race we went home and she slept until it was time to go to cotillion. This season she is a cotillion junior teaching assistant and she thinks that is pretty cool.