A Party Fit for a Diva

I now think that I have an idea of what it will cost to marry off my daughter. And I honestly hope I win the lottery before that day happens. If I don't, I think that I will have to mortgage my house...a second time.

It doesn't help that she watches the My Sweet 16 show on MTV with her brother. Now, I have to admit, those kids are lucky. Money, cars, huge parties, designer dresses, and famous recording artists performing at their parties. My kids sit there mesmerized with their eyes as big as saucers watching the amazing parties these rich kids get for their birthdays.

Then they look at me. My son when he was younger even asked me if he was swapped at birth. (too many Lifetime TV movies back in the day) Now I remember the exact moment I spit that kid out, a little over 17 years ago. I can even recall asking the doc to add a few extra stitches for good measure, lol. Once he realized that Bill Gates wasn't his real father he knew the only Sweet 16 he'd be getting from me is the 16 dollar bills in his birthday card. At my house, they were lucky if they got a Happy Meal and a present. lol. Seriously though, with both kids birthdays in the winter time, I don't have the advantage of a huge outdoor party like some of you do. And I shudder to think what an army of kids would do in my house, I've already got four cats, 2 kids, a girlfriend, a baby, and a grown man-baby (aka hubby) to clean up after.

I now have an 8 year old diva on my hands. I should have known I was in trouble when she was about four and would stop and gaze in the windows at the local jewelry store and point out her favorite diamond rings. At 6 she was rummaging through my jewelry box picking out the fakes from the real thing. (and there were a lot more fakes than the real deal!)

We've been pretty lax on getting her baptized... we are both Catholic, but not churchgoers. We'd wanted to do so, but her aunt (and chosen Godmother) had gone back to Guatemala before I could convince my husband that he wasn't going to burn if he set foot in a church. When he came back from Guatemala and told me that he was the Godfather of his sister Lety's newest baby boy, AND that he had gone to a church, well, I started making the plans.

In Guatemala, the exchange rate is about 8 dollars their money for one of our dollars. Since I'd never been to Guatemala, and learned that life was short this past year after losing my grandmother and father, I decided the time had come. I booked our plane tickets and started making plans. Deja and I have never been, and have never met most of hubby's family, including his parents, who aren't getting any younger.

We started planning a party, along with her Baptism for our last weekend there. My Diva immediately began searching online for her perfect white dress, shoes, and floral headpiece. You would have thought she was planning her own wedding. And I can't forget the pearls... she has a pearl necklace that she wants to wear as well. REAL pearls, people-none of the Dollar Store kind for this kid. We went up to JC Penney yesterday and saw a few white holiday dresses that were very pretty, but at $50 each, they weren't expensive enough for her tastes. I guess the next stop is a bridal shop or a specialty store down in RI when we visit next month. She also likes the one that I have put at the top of this post, so we might go with that one online and take it to a seamstress for any nips or tucks needed.

Rather than renting out a hall, her uncle built a huge new house and it will be there that we will have the party. In speaking with hubby, and asking him about how many people will be attending, he nonchalantly says, "Oh, probably about 300 or so." Now I have to get invitations (worded in Spanish of course) and money has been sent to reserve the food. Lucky for us, she has lots of aunts and a grandmother who love cooking. Carne asada, rice, beans, salad ,tortillas and tamales will be served along with lots of beer, punch, and Lord knows what else. Uncle Mauricio is a DJ on the side, so dancing will most likely go well into the night. And Deja has requested a five level PINK cake-which I will have to look into once I get there and check out the bakeries. I've found a few bakeries in Guatemala City that make the cakes above.

If this is only her Baptism party, I can imagine what her 15th birthday will be like. (FYI, Hispanic girls have a traditional coming out party on their 15th) And her wedding most likely will be an even grander affair. Hubby spent a few thousand when his daughter (now 19) celebrated her 15th birthday a few years back. Sigh...it's only just begun. I'd write more, but I'm headed to the store to buy a Powerball ticket and a few scratch offs...