The Middle Ages

Hooray.

Well, I'd be lying if I told you that I was looking forward to my 40th Birthday.  I was a big fan of my Thirties.

See, if you'll recall, I thought my life was over when I turned 30 (kinda weird to think that this blog of ours has been around for over a decade, huh.)  Turning 30 was a huge deal at the time, and rightfully so - I was fresh out of my twenties, working a grown-up job, married, with a house and two young kids under my belt.  Gone were my adventuring days, gone were my hard-partying days, gone was my youth.

So, in hindsight, I was being a bitch:  I would much rather turn 30 than 40, but. . . that's not how time and aging works.  The numbers go up, not down.  I turned 40 today, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I honestly think that I was more depressed when I turned 38, as it signified the end of my 'mid-30s' - everything after that was just a countdown to the dreaded 'Over the Hill' milestone.  I was better prepared for it, and, as such, today passed by without me moping about like I did when my bitch-ass turned 30.

Brian J. Hough, morning of July 5, 2010.  A whiny bitch.

(Brian of 2010, go f*** yourself.)

Anyway, this morning our family awoke at the family lakehouse at Eight Point Lake (where we had spent the weekend of the Fourth of July), and decided to head home to Midland in order for Yours Truly to do a couple things for the big day.  Namely, go shopping for vinyl at Radio Wasteland, and eat some sushi from Maru for dinner (their sushi is arguably the best in Midland.)

As luck what would have it, however, both of these plans were a bust.  Jim, the owner of Radio Wasteland, was up north in the U.P. celebrating the holiday, so his store was closed were a few days.  This was a huge bummer, as I really do enjoy record shopping on my birthday (surprise, surprise.)  Kris, however, offered to invite a bunch of the families from our social group over for dinner and a bonfire in order to celebrate the occasion.  She opted to do a bunch of Mexican stuff - tacos, nachos, etc. - so, consequently, this meant no Maru for dinner, either.

I was fine with it, though - I'm not one to pass up a chance to have a few drinks with friends.

In the evening, after we had spent the better part of the day swimming in the Angelotti's pool, our friends began to arrive - the Johnsons, Larsons, Colliers, Griffins, and Bos's. laden down with gifts (all booze - I noticed a theme.)  The rest of the day - rightfully so - is a blur, but from what I'm told, I had a damn good time.

And so, I leave you now with a handful of pics that highlight the ushering in of Yours Truly to the Middle Ages.  Enjoy. . .

The Colliers put together this pretty awesome bin of beer for me - lots of good local beer in there.

Kris' Mexican spread - perfect for the ridiculously hot weather.

Some of the other booze I picked up today from the Dads.

My brother, Chris, recorded my nephews 'wishing me a happy birthday.'  Those kids are dicks.

After people put their stuff down, we drifted next door so the kids could continue swimming in the Angelotti's pool.

Courtney, Danielle, Alicia, and Mees.

Having a cigar with Dave.

That's a hell of a lot of kids in our neighbor's pool. . .

Erik, Ryan, and Morgan, having cigars on our back patio.

Erik and Courtney brought their cornhole boards over.  If it's one thing this group of friends gets down with (besides drinking and feasting), it's cornhole.

After swimming, the kids spent most of their time on the trampoline. . . as usual.

Mitch showed up a little after dinner, sans the rest of the Bos family (they were still up in the U.P. for the holiday weekend.)

Sophie and Ella stayed the night, and our girls and them decided that they'd throw up a tent for a backyard sleepover.  Whatever floats their boat, it was way too hot out for my taste.

Yet another one of Morgan's patented funeral pyres. . .

Watson curled up here for most of the evening.  That dude will get down with some heat.

- Brian