I'm a consultant for the Showtime Series United States of Tara.
My essay, Different Than I Thought, is included in True Mom Confessions, Romi Lassally
My essay, Finding My Father, is included in Things I Learned About My Dad in Therapy, Heather Armstrong
I made my therapy journals available online - Not Otherwise Specified
Not currently in print.

Alex Is Sweet 16

She is Sweet 16.
She got her license yesterday.
Today, she almost crashed her car.
I made her dress the night before her Surprise Casino Partaaay in 7 hours. It cost $48, 3 pinpricks of blood, a teaspoon worth of odorless, glistening sweat and 127 stress and fatigue tears.

party17

Almost all the decorations were homemade. We used an iPod full of booty-busting R&B instead of hiring a DJ, which had me begging for a Frank Zappa song after 2 hours. Her brothers were the dealers and the bartender. Her cake was actually cupcakes all frosted together to look like a poker chip. My camera is broken so I only have the photos that my phone took. There is more to this story but it will have to wait for another day.

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9 comments to Alex Is Sweet 16

  • Happy Sweet 16 to Alex! I assume she is the one in the middle in the beautiful gown. You did a wonderful job and your cellphone takes much better photos than mine. :)

  • K.

    lol to the Zappalust. I decided a while back that I was going to have to make a concerted effort to stay in touch with contemporary pop music. I can handle about 30 minutes of it before I cry uncle.

  • I second that Happy Birthday! You guys went all out. When I was sixteen, you would have had to chain my brother to a table to get him to stay for more than ten minutes.

  • well cameraphone or not i LOVED the pictures on flickr :D

    she is so beautiful [when i see her, i feel like i should be watching something on mtv. and that is a compliment.], and you are such a great mom! it is really awesome of her brothers to take a part in it too, that’s practically unheard of. :P

    ps, i was cracking up when i came upon the “party” picture of joe hiding out in another empty room!

  • Joe

    I wasn’t hiding, I was watching the poker game from the supposed-to be-dining, but actually gamecube-and-ps2-videogame room. :-)

  • You made the dress?! It’s gorgeous, and so perfect for a Sweet 16.

  • Made the dress? Holy hell that’s dedication. And, home made decorations are always the best. And I haven’t listened to Zappa in ages. You’re a good Mommy.

  • Happy Birthday, beautiful! I can’t believe you made that dress. I can’t sew on a button.

  • WOW. And you sew? I’m unusually speechless. You rock mom!