Celebration!

I love it when a plan comes together - especially when it brings friends and family together to celebrate a significant birthday.  Elizabeth and CJ arrived Friday afternoon to help with final set up and logistics, while Abby and her husband came early to deliver folding chairs.  (It is a huge help to have a friend who throws big parties and who owns 40+ chairs!)

The carport makes a nice shaded space to eat, while the deck and yard are good for congregating.  The weather mostly cooperated.  We set up early in the morning, only to have rain roll thru at 11:00.  Quick, bring everything inside.  Rain again at 2:00 and back inside.  Finally at 4:00 when we had to make a go-or-no-go decision the skies cleared and we moved outside for good.  The rest of the evening was warm and lovely - perfect for an outside gathering.

Tables covered in bright colors - turquoise, yellow and green with orange napkins, yellow cups and Gerbera daisies in hot colors. 

Games in the yard for young and old. 

I love the way that a game can provide the common denominator that helps bring people together.  My college friend re-discovering that she knows a former co-worker of Mitchell's.  Or, our Hispanic neighbors patiently letting my boss practice his college Spanish on them.  Sadly, his joke didn't make it in translation.  Mitchell's tennis partner and his friend from South Africa discovering a common interest, and extended family meeting a wide variety of our friends, two children and a puppy.

 

Dinner of pulled pork (from his favorite BBQ restaurant), baked beans (my step-mom's best recipe) and coleslaw followed by a homemade pineapple upside down cake for the birthday boy.  All favorites chosen by the honoree. 

Apparently our guests cannot read, tho.  He had eschewed gifts, [Don't you love that word.  I think I have never used it before!] but many came anyway - mostly drinkable and readable - so he will have many reminders of a fun day and evening.

The youngest helped to feed the fish in the pond and played corn toss, but ended up - as kids do these days - with the electronics they brought along, playing until bed time while the adults talked.

Overall, a great day for everyone - even the cook!  Wish you could have been with us, too.

Sunday was a bit on the rainy side, but a delicious and easy breakfast of Jane's Boozy Baked French Toast got us off to a good start and all remnants of the festivities soon disappeared.