My Best Party Ever by Suz deMello

I'm a lucky person. People have remarked upon that regularly and I believe it. I was fortunate to be born into a middle-class, well-educated family full of creative, smart people and lots of fun times.

Sure, I encountered my share of lumps and bumps on the road of life, but for me, things have a way of working out.

And I've attended and thrown a lot of great parties. Unfortunately, due to my incredible age (ask me about the Inquisition!!) we didn't have picture-taking cell phones at most of them, and in quite a few, we were too ripped to find a camera, let alone take a picture.

And even now--few pix exist of our parties. See "too ripped", above. If I can remember to take a picture at a party, that means I'm not having enough fun. I'm not sufficiently engaged in the moment. And if I can find my phone--well, that shows that something's wrong).

But here's a couple of party pix:

This was in Matera, at the Women's Fiction Festival in,
I think, 2008. They throw the BEST parties! I'm in the middle.

My grand-niece's birthday party in 2014.
Someone actually had the presence of mind to
take a group photo! Wow. I'm in the front on the right.

But my best party ever was my 60th birthday party. (See, I told you I was old). At my request, it was a slumber party at my brother's home, a place perfectly suited to partying, especially a slumber party. Two rooms with huge sectional couches and great TVs. Extra bedrooms. Big kitchen where everyone congregates to drink my sister-in-law's infamous Evil Pink Brew--a lethal mixture of vodka, lemonade and Grenadine, meant to imitate Cosmos but on a grand and sloppy scale, and the EPB will make you grandly sloppy if you're not careful. I've learned to cut mine with plenty of 7-up.

Potter movies were playing on a continuous loop in one room, while something I can't remember was playing in the other (See, I told you it was a great party). Friends new and old, young and older came. It was great.

And no--no pix. Everyone was having too much fun.