More Birthday Talk

Tonight, I told Ryan that we needed to make a decision on all of this birthday talk. I wanted to order invitations and set things into motion if there was going to be a party.

Would we be planning a small get away? Would we be having a big bash? Would we be doing anything? Maybe just dinner for the three of us? We talked about a pavilion, our house and a number of other things. We wrote out guests lists, we calculated numbers, we discussed a budget and we pondered over themes, invitations, menus and more.

We narrowed it down to three possibilities (which didn't narrow it much at all):
1. A VERY small vacation. We're talking maybe a long weekend. Probably a couple of weeks after Jude's actual birthday. (this was more me considering this than Ryan)
2. A large party at our house - inviting the almost 100 people on our guest 'wish' list (Ryan was in favor of this option)
3. A smaller party at a park pavilion or some other sort of outdoorsy type of venue. This would require cutting the guest list (which as usual would mean you're cutting the people you REALLY want to keep the necessary family members).

I looked at zoos, museums, parks, and much more for birthday packages. I punched more numbers, I pondered over the guest list. I punched more numbers and looked at even more venues. I searched for get-away locations, I punched more numbers. I walked through our house and assessed the current state of construction, considered our time line, punched more numbers and still was unsure. I looked over the guest list again, came to terms with the fact we probably wouldn't be going on a vacation and started to decide which of the remaining two options worked for us.

I then made a deal with Ryan that if he puts our house back together, then we'd have the party at our here. This would save us over 100 dollars on a pavilion and allow for the maximum number of guests.

So, we're having a party. A big party. A BBQ party. At our house.

So, I'm totally in party planning mode... and am currently picking out a theme... and need your help... I have a pole to the right - please leave your opinion.