Way back when I celebrated my golden birthday: 13 years old on the 13th of August. My dad always said golden birthdays were special, being you get only one. On that special day, he reserved a limousine and made reservations at a high-end
restaurant. He allowed me to invite 10 of my closest girlfriends. We rode around town, went to dinner, and then rode around again for a while. Sipping sparkling grape juice, adorned in our best dresses, and full of giggles, we felt like princesses—and I was the queen.
Twenty years later, it was time to celebrate my son’s golden birthday (also born on the 13th). Remembering how special it felt to have such a large celebration, we asked him what he would like for the big day. He chose a hotel room party that would include a few of his best buddies, along with a special request/ room service. The hard part was determining how to include some of his female friends. We needed to figure out how to accommodate this diverse group and still have the party remain age-appropriate.
We found a great deal on a suite at Hyatt Place in Bloomington. The double suite was a perfect fit being my husband and I would have four boys staying with us. There were two full-sized beds in each suite. Additionally, the sectional in the common area pulled out into a queen sleeper, so there would be plenty of room if they actually fell asleep at some point. With a mini-fridge, a large TV, and extra floor space, this was a great setup to bring along beverages, as well as the Xbox for later at night when it was time to settle down a bit. The hotel includes a nice-sized pool, 24-7 food service, and a large open gallery for hanging out. The location was near home for us and down the street from the Mall of America in case we needed a backup plan at any point during the evening.
Having the pool and a large enough room to entertain a few extra guests offered us the opportunity for the girls to stop by for a few hours to swim, eat pizza and cupcakes, and hang out. We were able to check-in at 3:00 p.m. and get everything put away in the room; the boys arrived at 4/00 and got their stuff settled; the girls arrived at 5:00. Pizza, cupcakes, swimming, presents, and jelly beans followed. By 8:00 the girls were headed home and the boys were able to kick back and have some guy time. The remainder of the night was spent playing games, enjoying scrambled eggs and bacon courtesy of room service, and making memories. In the morning we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast and also had time to hang out around the hotel. At 11/00 a.m. the boys headed out for their homes and since check out wasn’t until noon, I had plenty of time to pack up without feeling rushed.
We were thankful to the staff at Hyatt Place for helping make the event a memorable one. This party was pretty easy to organize and execute and was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time and it was a birthday our son will never forget. I look forward to doing something else big in four years when our youngest celebrates his golden 14th birthday.
