"It's the end of the world as we know it" Or, Garland's kids celebrate her birthday

Parent Cafe
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<p>LIghtning, torrential rain, flooding, and one of my favorite bands. How much fun can one pre-birthday celebration be!</p>

<p>So, months ago, my kids got tickets for me, them and D’s BF to go to REM at Jones Beach Amphitheater. (On the beach of Southern Long Island). My 50th is coming up next week, so they wanted to do something special…and boy, was it!</p>

<p>The venue is gorgeous–actually juts out over the water, and we were sitting almost at the very top–beautiful views of marshes, lagoon, beaches, and the ocean beyond. No roof, open to the heavens. In the middle of the opening act, rain began pouring down, and lightning was visible pretty much everywhere. Rather than get drenched (or killed), D and I decided to go to the open-air but covered concession area–couldn’t see or hear, but figured we’d wait it out for REM to come out. S and DBF did the macho thing and stayed in their seats…</p>

<p>until a huge bolt of lightning HIT the top of the building, right behind them! Inside, it felt like an explosion…out there, they saw sparks flying and felt their hair stand up. Concert halted, semi-stampede of those still out there to get inside, much standing around while getting contradictory info from staff (one guy ordering us to evacuate down the metal staircases–we looked at him like he was crazy, ended up moving just one flight down.)</p>

<p>Ninety minutes later, when the worst of the lightning was past, they announced they were restarting. We “upgraded” our seats, since some people had left, then stood in pouring rain throughout the concert–which began with MIchael Stipe announcing “welcome to REM Survivor 2008” and the band opening the show with Creedence’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain.”</p>

<p>Great night! Kids handled all logistics, music was incredible, and the pyrotechnics–very impressive. Better than a cake full of candles! :slight_smile: Possibly best concert I’ve ever been at.</p>

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<p>Wow!!! I’m very jealous.</p>

<p>And I’m seeing an ad for REM concert tickets on sale. I’m tempted to click…</p>

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<p>Too late to edit: wrong song title, should be “I Want to Know, Have you Ever seen the rain?”</p>

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<p>garland: Haha…I feel your pain…My birthday (one year younger though) was Saturday night…My H made a dinner reservation in the Village (we live in Morris County) and thought it would be a good idea to take the Holland Tunnel…(and not take the SUV)…Needless to say, driving through torrential rain and flodding up to the car door took a bit of the fun out of the evening (not to mention my younger D flipping out at home b/c she thought the power was going to go out and the house was going to blow down…)</p>

<p>Being from LI, and living in NJ, I absolutely love the Jones Beach locale for the concerts…we go out of our way to get tickets for that venue over PNC…I can’t imagine being out there in a storm like Sat night though…we have been there in the rain, but nothing like that…</p>

<p>glad it all worked out ok…happy b’day!!</p>

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<p>Wow, garland, I heard about that incident and didn’t realize that I “knew” anyone who had been there! Kudos to you for sticking out the storm! A couple of years ago we danced to Earth, Wind & Fire in the rain and mud at PNC Arts Center. Happy Birthday!</p>

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<p>The day my DH surprizes me w/ anything for my bd or any of my kids give me a gift really WOULD be the end of the world as we know it! Apparently my DH’s mother spoiled him as a kid in making such a big deal about bdays that he is totally turned off by the idea of celebrating.</p>

<p>Oh well.</p>

<p>Fortunaely I’ve been able to have fun w/ the 3DS’ bdays & always made a spectacular cake (lifesize Fender Strat guitar, big jet w/ giant sparklers for afterburners, a 6-ft snake w/ plasic mice inside, etc. etc.).</p>

<p>Actually, now that I thnk about it, DH did make me a chocolate cake for my 40th. I think the earth tipped on its axis a little bit that year…</p>

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<p>That sounds just awesome. Happy, happy birthday Garland!</p>

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<p>the lightning and thunder were spectacular out here on LI…it seemed the lightning was horizontal at times.Must have looked wild over the horizon at Zach’s Bay. How were the access roads out of the stadium?
Glad you enjoyed yourself at your memorable 50th celebration.
I’m dating myself but I once attended a Clash concert while pregnant with my oldest outdoors in pouring rain,thunder,etc…scared out of my mind but I still remember it some …ahem…25 years later!</p>

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<p>Wow, bz, those cakes sound amazing! The best I did was a Lowly Worm cake for DS’s 3rd BD.</p>

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<p>Wow! I would’ve LOVED to see the Clash, in any conditions!</p>

<p>Roads getting out were pretty bad; stopped dead on the Cross Island with flooding for a while. Were pretty exhausted and still sopping wet when we got back to NJ around 2 am.</p>

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<p>Wow–very jealous! REM is my favorite band and also my D’s (wonder why…). Unfortunately we couldn’t make either of the recent concerts due to S’s HS grad events. But we bought our D tickets to see them in Berlin in July for her 21’st, and will be eagerly awaiting a detailed report!</p>

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<p>thanks bethie - the strat was incredibly challenging - afterwards no one wanted to cut it!</p>

<p>If I’ve failed at every other parenting skill, at least the boys will remember that I went “all out” on their b-day cakes - every year something new & more challenging, if possible, than the last. Usually they were a reflection of something they were into at the time. I’ve made nintendo controllers, free-standing soccer balls, gameboys, pokemon cards & ipods (easy), fire trucks, BMW roundel (also easy) space shuttles, dinosaurs, stacks of legos, and one year we had a huge octopus engulfing a yellow submarine for the one who wanted to be a marine biologist. I even made a free-standing drum kit one year. Had a Confederate flag w/ 13 stars when the “civil war buff” turned 13. The “jungle” with a blue jello waterfall was pretty memorable too.</p>

<p>I think I’m about out of ideas now!</p>

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<p>congratulations & happy birthday!
REM are real troupers- They played in a storm @ the Gorge last month ( when I wussed out and went back to the campground)- of course I was standing way up on the hill so it wasn’t as compelling as if I had been in front.</p>

<p>I had gotten tickets for Sasquatch festival and had hoped that we all would go- but it was just D#2 & me ( it was her 18th birthday)- she went back to the campground after M.I.A.</p>

<p>It was my first rock festival- too young for Woodstock- too busy with kids for Lolla, wish I had gone to this though
[Bonnaroo</a> 08 Saturday: Videotaping Pearl Jam](<a href=“Dotdash Meredith - America's Largest Digital & Print Publisher”>Dotdash Meredith - America's Largest Digital & Print Publisher)</p>

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<p>Garland, welcome to the fun side of fifty… Happy Birthday!</p>

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<p>I was gonna say I am jealous that your kids like the same kind of music.</p>

<p>While M.I.A. was good- not my kind of music & although I think the Blue Scholars are also very good- I wouldn’t make a special effort to see them.
The only concert since the girls have gotten older that we have gone to see, was when I went with D#1 & her friend to see the " last" Presidents of the USA concert.- it was very good but they quickly abandoned the pretense that they weren’t going to play anymore.</p>

<p>H & I are going to the Sub pop birthday party ourselves next month +Green River reunion!
& I told H that if Pearl Jam is playing * anywhere* on the West coast this tour- I am going no matter what. You would not believe how good they are in concert.</p>

<p>And enjoy being young enough to have fun. I had a hard time enjoying myself before I was 50, I am going to make up for it. :D</p>

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<p>bz2010 - laughing at your cakes. I had a friend who made a snake cake, but she never thought of filling it with plastic mice. I made my fair share of weird cakes. The best was the aircraft carrier. My younger son decided at some point he preferred apple pie to cake - it was Tatooine (Star Wars) the first year, but I haven’t had too many ideas since then!</p>

<p>Concert sounds cool, but scary!</p>

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<p>Garland:</p>

<p>That is a pre-birthday to remember! Happy B-day! I guarantee you won’t feel older the next day :).</p>

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<p>mathmom - love the aircraft carrier cake - thanks for an idea I haven’t used yet! That reminded me that I also made a Blue Angels Jet cake. I love to fill them w/ funny things (usually AFTER baking!). The jungle cake was full of plastc spiders & snakes. Can’t serve them to little little kids that way of course!</p>

<p>Maybe some of y’all will get some ideas for your kids/grandkids’ cakes. It’s a great creative outlet!</p>

<p>Happy b-day, Garland! Did you have a cake? :)</p>

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<p>Happy birthday, Garland! :)</p>

<p>bz-my mom doesn’t make “fun” cakes, but she makes the best Ghirardelli Chocolate Cake I’ve ever had.</p>

<p>Have you ever done an Armadillo Cake? :)</p>

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<p>HGFM - LOVE chocolate cake! want to share the recipe??</p>

<p>My mom used to make a “Harvey Wallbanger Cake” w/ Galliano liqueur - you just reminded me of that. I’ll have to dig around for that recipe now!</p>

<p>Never done an armadillo cake - that would be funny! We don’t see them very often around here, but I think they’re migrating a lot aren’t they?</p>