October 28, 2001

Well, my birthday turned out to be a total blast. It started with flowers, then Friday night Val and I went to a social for the Exiles, and then to a very "adult" party. On Saturday we just had a relaxing day, including haircuts and Louie's Barber Shop on Castro and a wonderful sushi dinner in Berkeley. Then on Sunday we went to the Folsom Street Fair, always an interesting experience. We got back to my house around 1:30 and there were 150 balloons in my living room! That was just the beginning of the party time! Many guests showed up later for appetizer, presents, cake, and ice cream. I got some wonderful gifts, but the best part was the organizing that Val and Mom did, and spending time with my friends. I am so blessed to have so much love in my life! The kids also had a great time with the balloons the next day.

As usual I judged the Columbus Day Parade in San Francisco on October 7. I've been doing that for many years, and continue to have lots of fun with it. Val joined me this year, so that made it more fun.

Haley had a strange week starting on the 14th. She spiked a fever, and had it through Thursday. Turns out she was teething really badly. She popped a tooth on Monday morning, and another one on Tuesday. So she now has 6 teeth, two on the top, and four on the bottom. She's not walking yet, but every day she stands up on her own more.

On October 16th Val and I joined her friend Lee for a book reading in San Francisco. Lee has a story published in the book, Rough Girls. A very fun evening!

The girls and I had lunch on the 19th with my friend Shannon and her twins. I was able to help Shannon out by giving her some leftover fertility drugs. She got pregnant with Seth and Lily just a month before I got pregnant with Haley. The kids had a great time, and Shannon and I shared the trials and joys of motherhood.

On the 20th, Val and her dog Tommy and my girls and I went up to see our friends Liz, Cheri, and Lauren at their house in Geyserville. Lauren and Katelyn got along really well the whole time. However Tommy didn't fare as well. After an accident in the house (horrors!) he was banished outside. Bad Dog. But the humans had a nice visit, and Tommy was well-behaved in the car. So was Haley, who rode next to him. We were afraid she would pull his hair and really bug him, but he was able to escape to the floor of the car.

Now we're looking forward to Halloween. Katelyn will be a cat, and we're still working on Haley's costume. Then Val and I are off to the Black Rose conference in New Carrollton, Maryland for the weekend.