Anniversary Party

Last time, I left off right before I told you about my parents' anniversary, so that's where I'll start.

We left out on a Thursday night and made it up around 11 or so. Friday was a flurry of getting things ready. Dad and Thomas spent the day smoking some pork butts on the Traeger. Mom and I went in to Hennessey to pick up some flowers and bread. Tables were delivered, and we slowly pulled everything together. Our preparations were greatly helped by the fact that Dad made great headway on the room inside the shed. The new things that helped were the kitchen (complete with a sink, stove, and some primitive counters/cabinets. We also finally have a working toilet in the bathroom! I was on centerpiece duty for the party, but wasn't able to do much for it until Saturday.

It is definitely worth mentioning that on Thursday night/Friday morning, an oppressive cold front came through, taking with it the pleasant 50 and 60-degree weather and replacing it with 30s/40s and a brutal north wind, all with intermittent rain. Yuck. Thankfully, my parents' shed has a couple of great heaters, so as long as we kept the doors closed, it was pleasantly warm. It was a little less than ideal, but I suppose it's better than having 100 degree heat.

During the day on Friday, my mom and I made a quick trip to Hennessey to pick up flowers for the centerpieces and bread for the party. We also made a quick stop by the shrine to light a candle with prayers for decent weather the next day. It seemed as though we weren't making much progress in terms of decorating or getting things put together, but we eventually got there, albeit late on Friday night.

Saturday morning was spent with the guys tying up loose ends with food prep and with the girls going to town for a little pampering. My cousin Vickie was sweet enough to do my mom's hair for the evening, then we went to get our nails done, which is our new favorite group activity! We also stopped to get lunch at Katy's Pantry, because why not?! We had to get some other odds and ends along the way. During one of the stops, I happened to see one of my old students. Incidentally, this was the first time that I've seen any of them since I left last year, so it was a welcome surprise! I was walking through the store when I heard a frantic shout of "Ms. Hladik!!!!!!!!" which was immediately followed by the sounds of someone running. I finally registered who it was when he came up and gave me a hug. It was a nice surprise to see students who were happy to see me, especially since my current students are still missing their old teacher quite a bit and aren't that fond of me. I had a great talk with my former student, then eventually made my way home to put together my centerpieces.

In making my centerpieces, I gave myself a crash course in flower arranging. I had great guidance from sweet Abby, the florist, in choosing my flowers. I just had to hope that I could make something good happen with them! I opted for white and green hydrangeas, red alstroemerias, and some hypericum berries. I also happened to find some old jars in the shed that, once I cleaned them up, made the perfect rustic vase. Add in some fancy bows that Aunt Pat made, and I was very pleased with the end result...which I managed to complete about an hour before people started arriving. Heaven knows I probably made my mom a little more than nervous by this, but she was overjoyed by how they turned out, so I'm telling myself that that redeemed the situation somewhat :)

Before we knew it, people started arriving, and the party was well underway. We had a great evening of socializing and delicious food. It was so great to get to see so many of my friends and family, most of whom I haven't seen since the wedding. It was great to catch everyone up on my new job (and the jobs I had in between) and to hear what they've been up to in the interim.

I was excited that Tonisha, her sister Shardaye, and her niece Jela all came to the party! So did Thomas' friend Nick, as well as Thomas' parents! We had a truly wonderful time hanging out together. Of course, the weekend was over almost as soon as it began, and I gave a tough goodbye to everyone for the meantime. Times like this make me wish we still lived closer to the OK crowd, but I know that we're where we need to be for now. I'm continuing to embrace this part of my and Thomas' journey, knowing that life has a way of changing things in an instant.

Of course, the best part...photos!

Jakub and Cole

If you're going to make a weird face, it's going to be documented for all eternity...

Kyle got a rare picture of me with multiple nephews :)

Mom and me going on our Hennessey venture 

All the flowers waiting to be arranged...

Girls' lunch at Katy's Pantry

One of the arrangements

Another arrangement

Yet another arrangement (on the guestbook table)

Really proud of how the guestbook table turned out!

Thomas and Jeremy's brother, Jason

Of course I got a picture with Tonisha :)

And why would we forget Jela? Love that sweet, sassy girl!

I thought I had a great candid shot of Thomas talking with both sets of our parents...then I noticed Steve yawning.
Such is life. I still think it's a good picture!

Fun fact: we did NOT plan to all be wearing pastel floral tops.
We still look great :)

Sadly, all the great photos of my parents are on other people's cameras/phones, so you'll have to imagine. I promise Mom and Dad had a great evening! Here's to 40 more years!!!