Well hello there!

I helped my family throw a 60th birthday party for my Mom a couple of weeks back.  60 is a pretty big number to be celebrating and we wanted to do this right.  To mark the occasion we didn't turn to a fancy ballroom or book a banquet room at our Mom's favorite restaurant, we instead held this party where most of our family parties are held - my sister's driveway in Montebello.  This driveway has been the site of most of our family parties.  Everything from children's birthday parties, graduations, baptismal and yes even my own wedding reception.  It isn't a particularly spacious driveway and doesn't come equipped with anything other than a nice even concrete slab for the tables and an extension cord to the garage.  

Montebello (or the 'bello as I now call it) is somewhere very near and dear to my heart, its where we spent our formative years and it's shaped who we are.  We didn't actually live in the 'bello growing up, we lived in Pico Rivera - not the good part either, the weird little part that the city didn't even want to claim and just let Montebello Unified stick a school in this little neighborhood.  That little school moved us into the school district and onto Montebello High School where we truly grew into the lovable weirdos we are now.  When I went off to UCLA I left Pico Rivera and I don't think I'll ever live in "East Los" again but you never know.  When my sister and her husband bought the house in Montebello we saw that as the new party central for the family, it wasn't long before the first party was held.  I've been lucky enough to attend many a swanky party here in my neighborhood but the driveway parties can give some of those a run for their money.   We've now perfected the art of the house party and figured out who is better at handling what and who not to ask to bring food.  My sister has become an ace at finding ways to make the backyard shine with simple decorations, if I get hard up about things to write I'll share some of them with you but for now you're going to have to put up with my ramblings and hope to find some useful party tips.

-Berny