The Great Balloonfest of 2012

I can always count on an evening with the Playfriends and the Mavens to be anything but boring. Whether we're playing board games, doing bizare crafts or running through Walmart at midnight in our own twisted version of a reality show, I will eventually laugh until I cry.

All I need say is *cocktail dress* and we'll all burst into laughter with an image in our minds that can simply not be described if you weren't there.

Friday night before our annual luncheon, we volunteered to blow up balloons. It was an anniversary year, so we were doing some special decorations. Our luncheon coordinator rented a helium tank and brought us Hi-Float, ribbon and 150 silver balloons. Oh, she also brought three bottles of wine and some glowsticks. I guess she imagined us huffing helium and drinking wine until we broke out into a balloon rave.
After a few speedbumps, we seemed to get the process down. PM filled the balloons with Hi-Float. For those who don't know, Hi-Float is a liquid you put inside the balloon to keep it floating longer. We had no intention of getting up at 6AM to blow up these balloons. Maven LJ massaged them. (More to come on that.) Angel filled them with helium. Instigator put clips on them. Maven Linda and I tied the strings. Angel's sister cut ribbon, and PC gathered them into bundles and tied them to the weights. Simple, right?

Well, maybe. After our first few balloons were a little limp and floating low across the floor like little silver sperm in search of an ovum, we realized we were using too much Hi-Float.  I was so tempted to draw little faces or "X" and "Y" on the wandering ones. We decided to read the Hi-Float instructions and maybe it's just because we're romance writers, but that was some really dirty stuff. We had to insert tip into the balloon and plunge it deep. Then, the number of times we pumped depended on how big it is. One pump for 9 inches, two pumps for 12 inches and 3 full pumps for 16 inches. Note: if Hi-Float leaks out of the balloon, you haven't thrust it deep enough. Um... kay. Then you had to slip off the balloon and gently massage the fluid into the latex.

With each step we read and each glass of wine we imbibed, it seemed to get worse and worse. Eventually, the giggles got the best of us. I feel bad if the people in the room next to us actually wanted to sleep. The next day at the luncheon, Maven Linda discussed how that had become her favorite luncheon memory. I love how with the right group of friends, even something as simple as blowing up balloons can become a memory you can cherish forever.

What's one of your favorite memories with your best friends?
SP

PS. Kira's winner of the Island Nights trilogy is Scarlet Wilson! Email her at kira (at) kirasinclair (dot) come to claim your prize!