For the past few years, we have had rather uneventful New Year's Eve's. They could be described as lackluster. Days before the big night, we find ourselves with out plans, and most friends engaged elsewhere.
This year we decided to take matters into our own hands. Before Christmas we cast out a kid and adult friendly party invitation to a BUNCH of friends, hoping a few would take the bate.
Indeed, many declined, but plenty enough opted to join us.
And so we had a full (enough) house from sundown to sun up and beyond!
There was sparkling grape juice and a 9 pm countdown for the younger set.
Jammies and Noisemaker = Happy Little Party People
Poppers!
A box of fireworks from Target.
There was dancing in the kitchen before retiring the school age children to sleeping bags in the basement with a RedBox movie. The diaper crew (made up of Gavin Hentges and Charlie Melberg) were tucked into their respective Pack 'n Plays.
...and then there were the adults.
Dan and Gretchen.
Mike and his girlfriend Ashley.
Mike and Me.
Gretchen campaigned for a 11:40 p.m. count down. She was shot down! (but in bed by 12:08). I discovered in the morning we never actually opened the champagne for Midnight. All my lovely trumpet champagne flutes from Crate and Barrel were untouched and clean on the buffet. (OOOoooopppppps!)
General silliness ensued into the wee hours of the night.
(don't forget Mark and Doris)
Rachel was our photographer, and so I don't have a picture of her and Brett, but they were along for the ride, since little man Charlie didn't drive himself.
When the crew roused in the morning
...OR...
When the kids roused the adults to consciousness,
it was time for breakfast.
The menu included
-french toast bake (prepped in a drunken state that makes me surprised I didn't cut my finger off slicing the frozen french bread and that I somehow poured in the correct amount of half and half)
-fruit
-pre-cooked microwave bacon (because those big Kirkland Hormel brand bags from Costco ROCK and feed a crew with no fuzz and no muss!)
-orange juice (or diet Mountian Dew, or a cold regular Coke, or a gallon of coffee)
-An Advil or three for everyone over the age of 21.
John joined up with us and his lovely wife Doris and cute son Gavin for the first meal of the New Year, after his night shift on the Heart floor at Mercy .
We had a grand time hosting friends, but it turns out we must be OLD, because we are not as fond of parties that don't have an endpoint as we were in our younger years!
Happy New Year's to All.
May it be filled with joy and blessings (like our dear friends pictured above) in the 364 days and ahead!
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