A great party weekend

Well, we survived. Actually, we more than survived, we thrived. The weather was perfect for Mark's Graduation Open House, so many people could sit out in the garage, on the back porch, or on the little deck off our back office. It wasn't too hot (although we had the air going) and I had plenty of help.

We did have Potential Party Pooping Obstacles:

1. The dryer went out last week. I called on Tuesday to have someone to come look at it, but they couldn't come till the next Monday. I knew I wouldn't have time to run to the laundromat during the week.

2. Cub Foods called a couple of days before the party with a question on our order. They called at 10 pm and weren't very specific in the message they left. Also, our cake people called with a question. A little unnerving.

3. The big freezer stopped freezing. I discovered this the night before the party, when I put punch in a jello mold to freeze and it didn't.

4. Only one 1/2 of my expected 4 helpers came. (I say 1/2 because Luke was later than he anticipated.)

5. Tim was concerned (mild term) as he was working on the garage and outdoor things. He was dealing with some unsightliness and clutter in these areas.

6. A guest pooch came and peed all over Christina and the floor during the party.

7. We had a whole large meat tray left over as well as a large fruit tub, half the cake, a veggie tray and a pan of bars.

8. Christina decided to dye her hair a sort of maroon color on Friday. She called my cell phone as I was shopping for last minute party stuff to tell me she had a surprise for me. The surprise was not a spotless house as I had hoped, but a hair color that now matches her temperament.

How the Obstacles Were Resolved in Amazing Ways:

1. The weather was warm and breezier all last week, so I hung out our clothes to dry. Christina hauled her clothes over to her boyfriends' house, and we had just completed a few loads for Mark before dryer quit.

2. The question from the grocery store was just about the size of the trays. Apparently they had lost the part of the order with the description of "large" or "medium." This was resolved easily enough--I talked to the same person with whom I had placed the order and whom had called. The Cake Box called to see if we were coming to pick up the cake--I had sent Christina and Pete, but forgot that they closed at 5 on Friday. Thank goodness for cell phones. Tim was able to go get the cake, arriving at exactly 5 pm.

3. Although I was bummed about the freezer, it did keep the ice frozen that I had bought for the party. It also was big enough to store the meat trays and sandwiches without freezing them during the party, so we didn't have to put out all the food all afternoon. Also, it served well for the leftover meat tray and fruit which would not have fit well in our refrigerator. And, Tim went and got me a new freezer yesterday. It is more energy efficient, frost free, and we have a year (or more?) to pay for it, interest free.

4. Christina was really a big help this year. Her friend Angela (who did a great job coloring Christina's hair, and by this time I had forgiven the whole affair) was here early and helped too. I had them chopping and slicing. No fingers were injured in the process. Also, Terry's mom (Tim's Aunt Loretta) arrived early. (Uncle Pat had a previous commitment.) She came bearing a pasta salad (delicious) and said, "I'm here to help." And boy, did she. She helped me stay on track (Suzi, make that salad dressing {I was getting a little distracted}) and washed dishes and helped set up. After the party, some good friends lingered and helped clean up and put away food. Luke helped too, even though he was late. And his reason for being late was that he had a job interview at Papa John's, and he had called the day before to ask me if he could take that. He's going to be working there to earn a little extra cash to catch up on some things in addition to his full time drywall work.

5. Tim, bless his heart, was a little frazzled with stuff I hadn't taken the time to worry about, because it wasn't right in front of me. The boys were practicing with the worship band at church, which was really cool, because they haven't both played together at church in quite some time, so we were really grateful for that. So, Tim called Christian to come help, and in no time they had the garage all ready, complete with drop cloths hung to cover up any unsightly things on the walls (like hoses or tools). They also trimmed the bushes and swept the "helicopter" seeds (from the maple tree) off the driveway. Christian also came in very handy at Tim's run to the grocery store to pick up the meat/cheese trays, buns, fruit, and some extra paper goods.

6. Even though Christina was dramatic after the dog incident, she was at home, after all, so she could easily change her clothes. I was able to clean up the offending liquid easily and quickly, and was very grateful it was on the floor and not the carpet.

7. Because the freezer was still cooling but not freezing, we could store leftover food there. Also, we had a potluck at church the next day, so we got rid of a lot of food there (several buns, the whole meat tray, and the fruit bucket). We have an AFS (foreign exchange student program) potluck tonight, so we can get rid of the veggie tray there and maybe some other stuff too.

8. Hair grows out. I survived a purple dye before and other interesting hair cuts and colors in Christina and my boys (at least she didn't give herself a mohawk.) And her friend Angela did do a nice job on the coloring, even if it isn't something I would have chosen to present to my mother when I know said mother is under much stress at a given time. Ahhhhhhhh, teenagers.

So, these were the interesting tidbits of the last few days. This doesn't include the disappearance of the blue chairs, making them unavailable for our use at the party (from my in-laws) or the events we attended or hosted (Terry's birthday party on Thursday, a wedding we were at till 10 pm on Friday night). I didn't tell you about the last minute slide show Tim put together on his computer on Saturday morning (it was terrific) or the scrambling of getting photos out to display in the big office. Raven went over to the neighbors and barked at their back gate (which faces our house), until they brought him in to relax on their screened in porch. Other items of blessing: the window A/C unit in our big office worked like a charm and didn't drip like it did last summer when we used it; my insulin pump worked well all day and waited till the Sunday church potluck to give me a "NO DELIVERY" message, beeping incessantly as my blood sugar rose and rose (I had just eaten a bunch of that lovely fruit) until my nurse friend Bobie figured out the problem (I was on hold with the pump manufacturers for 20 minutes with no response); I didn't get to see my mother-in-law because they had come in the back door and stayed on the back porch--by the time I got down there they had just left; some of our friends got the dates mixed up so they missed the whole affair, but at least found out about it on Sunday morning so they didn't make a wasted trip Sunday night----etc. etc.

It was fun, it was festive, it was great seeing old friends and new, and actually I was able to chat with just about everyone who came. Mark got 43 cards and was a perfect host. We are proud of him and know he'll do well at whatever he chooses to pursue in the future.

Thanks to everyone who attended or wanted to but couldn't. Time marches on. Two down, one to go--at least we get a two year breather in between!

Till next time,


Suzi