To the reader:

I had a similar experience this past weekend. I had a 40th birthday party for myself and invited about 40 people — several from out of town. Well, the last week I was quite grumpy running around trying to get everything in place because I wanted it to be perfect AND to be able to relax. I ended up upgrading my out-of-town friends accomodations since I wanted it to be special for them at the tune of $150 which I couldn't afford and now regret it.

What I learned: do as much as you can ahead of time at a reasonable pace and keep in mind that your friends are grown-ups too. It is actually disrepectful to them to think that you have to plan and carry out everything. Also, leave extra time between activities — more than you think you need and leave extra time at the beginning for yourself to calmly get ready. I didn't leave myself enough time for that (actually my first guest showed up early). Also, it was hard for me but I asked my guests for help and they were more than willing. You can be a perfectionist if you want but you can't be happy at the same time.