Marissa's Birthday Party

Different story, same birthday.

About 8 weeks ago I went through the trouble of renting a room at the rec center at Linden Hills park for Marissa's 4th birthday party, which was this past week Saturday. Had to fill out a two-page contract, got confirmation that the room was available and the total cost, with a request that I send half down in now with another half due the day of the event. I dutifully sent in my $50, and that was that.

So Saturday morning I hit the ground running, making fruit kabobs (why is it that food is so good to kids when it's on a stick?) little turkey sandwiches shaped like gingerbread girls (they look like princesses, close enough), get all the juice boxes/water in a cooler, go pick up the cake, etc. We had the room reserved from 9:30 until 12:30, even though the party didn't start until 10:00, just for set up and clean up.

When do we arrive, you ask? At 9:55, just as the first guest is arriving. Oh well, not much to set up, it's fine.

Except the building is locked.

The entire building. Back door, front door, outside bathrooms. Locked and dark. Nobody around.

...What...??

There are two numbers on the front door to call. I call the first one -- from through the door we can hear the phone inside the building ringing.

Not helpful.

But in hindsight, funny.

I call the second number, the office of that park's director. I leave a VM, knowing that it's probably an 8-5 Mon-Fri kind of job, there was no way somebody was going to answer that before Monday morning.

Then I and other guests started calling around to other parks in the area. No one answers ANY phones. I finally got pissed enough I drove to a nearby park and found it staffed. (Apparently they can't answer the phone, though.) A mom is unloading her van calmly, preparing the room she reserved 8 weeks ago for a birthday party. Hmmm...funny thing, I did the same thing, only I got NOTHIN'! And the staff member, being just one individual, cannot leave that park to come to ours, and has no additional phone numbers for us to try beyond the ones we'd already called.

Thank God it was a nice day out so the kids could play outside. But the party did have to take a little break in the middle of it to have 4 little girls traipse to a parents' house nearby to use the bathroom...since there were no unlocked bathrooms.

I was most upset at spending the first half an hour of the party just tracking this shit down. I wanted to enjoy her birthday party, not get pissed off. But I brushed it off, I didn't want to ruin the party by brooding over this, but I was going to give them a piece of my mind come Monday.

Except that on Monday they were so sincerely apologetic and very willing to make it up to me (beyond just refunding me my money) that I couldn't possibly be mad. The park director took a very customer-oriented approach to it, he was nice to talk to and offered me free enrollment for any of the classes that take place in the park there. Would love to...except all the classes are geared for stay-at-home parents and take place during the day. (Not that he knew I worked.)

And...he informed me that the bathrooms are supposed to be open on the weekends, even if the building isn't. So at least he learned something new to fix.

It just seems like Marissa is always getting the short end of the stick...even when it comes to her actual birthday party. Sucks being the second child.