Friday, May 11, 2012

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!

10 comments:

Scarlet Wilson said...

Hi ladies,

Tried to send email to Kira but apparently your mail box is full!

linda winstead jones said...

I will never look at a balloon the same way again. Ever.

Playground Monitor said...

The Great Balloonfest of 2012 and Girls Gone Wild (the meth lab in the next motel room) are probably my favorite Playfriend memories.

Oh Lordy, just reading about filling those balloons had me doubled over with laughter again. Who would have thought it would involve erotic fiction? ;-)

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up, Scarlet! I'd just cleaned the account out a couple weeks ago, but got a few really big files and forgot they'd take up a bunch of room. You should be good to go now.

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

I will never forget that night for so many really good reasons. ;-D

Insti

Problem Child said...

And there's video... Of me. Good thing we play by Vegas Rules!

Maven Linda said...

The balloon that kept skittering after Smarty Pants was scary. It was determined.

Angel said...

Cocktail Dress -- rolls on floor laughing! I'll never get THAT visual out of my mind!

Even funnier than reading the instructions was PC reading the instructions after inhaling helium. Hysterical!!!!!

Stephanie Jones AKA Alicia Hunter Pace said...

One of my favorite memories also happened this past weekend. I was able to go to a very lovely resturant where lovey adult drinks were served to us along with some yummy food. It was really nice to visit with new friends like Janice and Charles Maynard and with old friends like Jean, Lynn Raye Harris, Rhonda Nelson and Vicki Lewis Thompson!!

Like y'all we all laughed, visitd and catch up on things! Good memories indeed!

Laurie G said...

After returning home from different colleges, my friends and I would always celebrate our reunion at the beach (Lake Michigan). We would take our bikes, pack a small bag of munchies and buy some cheap wine, Boone's Farm, Trivolia, etc. We'd spend hours catching up and laughing a lot. I remember these times fondly!