A smashing success..

The party is done and I have to say, it was SUCH fun! I have never had such a good time at any party I have held. It was stress free. Don’t ask me WHY or HOW a party with 60+ people can be stress free but it was. Perhaps because everyone is so willing to help and very gracious. Perhaps it is because even the CHILDREN are a joy to be around. Perhaps because Corynn and Andrew were always being held and entertained (which leaves my hands and mind free to visit with others…) Surely all of these reasons combined.

I had procrastinated and not done a STITCH in preparation until the day of, but even then, I was able to lounge around for an hour at lunchtime. I gave myself until 11:30 to get household stuff done (cleaning and such) and then the afternoon I concentrated on party preparations. As soon as the children were down for naps, I went on a walk to collect wildflowers for my ball jars. The party was at 4:00, so my goal was to finish all party preparations by 3:00 in order to get myself ready, the candles lit, and (our) food on the tables. All went according to planned-and I even had time to do things I HADN’T planned to do-like put up my tiki torches and make a sign to the bathroom. When people began to arrive, all was done and I was feeding Andrew so I wouldn’t have to feed him again until bedtime. It was perfect start to the party, not a harried or frazzled thought in my head.

The gray skies loomed heavy above us as I worked on my preparations and never ceased to threaten us with its wetness even as the gray turned to black. Its bark was worse than its bite, because not one single raindrop fell-before, during, or after the party was ended.

After the meal, we had planned a hayride to the farm to show everyone how a larger dairy farm runs (most of the congregation are professors and know not a LICK about any sort of farming…). It was a grand idea, and enthusiasm ran high as the tractor lurched to a start. That is, until just a few yards later, a loud *SNAP* and screams of terror struck as the one side of the hay wagon’s wood snapped and started to droop about a foot!

People could have been VERY hurt-or it might have happened after they had been on it for a while-but thankfully, this was not the case and only managed to DIM the enthusiasm. Instead of ditching the idea all together, motivated as they were, they decided to walk. (It is a MILE to the farm!)

EVERYONE left except for myself and another nursing mom of 10 which left us a nice long, uninterrupted time to visit one on one with one another-something that I have wanted to do for a while. What a DELIGHT it was to share with each other and strengthen one another! That wonderful woman holds a very dear spot in my heart.

I think everyone had a good time because, even as the darkness fell and the last of the fireflies came out to dance, the night rang out with laughter, conversation, and childish squeals of delight.

I am certain I had the loveliest time of them all, it was SO nice being able to comminucate with other adults so freely. And such enjoyable company it was!