Thanksgiving this year wasn’t the nearly maddening experience it usually is for us. Jason’s family, due to scheduling conflicts, had their Thanksgiving dinner a few days after Thanksgiving. Hallelujah! For once we didn’t have to eat and dash and then force ourselves to eat again. Getting to spend time with both of our families, without the usual time constraints, seemed unnatural for a holiday but boy was it sublime. We ate slowly, talked much, and even got to play a couple of board games. If every year worked out like that I would not complain one bit…not even half a bit.
Here I am with about 2/3rds of my siblings...and Jason. Why do all of Jason's siblings insist on making themselves look like idiots whenever someone pulls out a camera?The coconut cupcakes I made for our fams were delish. The first batch needed some tweaking-the recipe wasn't quite right-but the second batch was perfect. My apologies to my family; they got the experimental first batch. Jason and his "twin" brother like to snuggle.
Halloween is a big holiday for us and a massive time drain. Every year we put in hours and hours of work to plan, decorate, and execute a Halloween party of ludicrous proportions. We love it and hate it but we always end up doing it again. After all, who else would put on something this elaborate if we didn’t?
Jason requested that I make us superhero costumes this year. I consented but decided I wanted to be a hero related to my intriguing profession. Thus, the Five a Day Avenger was born: saving the world one serving of fruits and veggies at a time! Those that won't eat their veggies will be bombarded by them. My awesome lemonades (like grenades...get it?) were detachable and a lot of fun to chuck at the unsuspecting. Jason was super excited to be my ridiculously useless sidekick Banana Man. I created these rotten eggs a number of years ago but I still love them. I really dig this picture of my cute and creepy spider with glowing eyes.
Since this was our tenth year hosting this madness we knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into. We’ve learned from experience just how long it takes to do what and we start preparing in August. Our familiar schedule keeps us from outright panicking as the party too quickly approaches. However, Jason’s weak body put a few kinks in our usual timetables this year. The week of our party, which is always overflowing with to-dos, he decided to get a flu shot when they were offered for free at his work. His body did not approve. Since the flu shot this year is a combo that contains both the swine flu and the regular run-of-the-mill flu vaccines, apparently there is a greater than normal chance for adverse reactions…and Jason’s reaction I would definitely place under the adverse umbrella. In the evening of the day he got the shot he became ill almost instantly; one minute he was saying his stomach didn’t feel too well and the next he was making a mad dash to the bathroom like it was a new Olympic sport. Sadly, that mad dash was just the first of many to come. The explosive vomiting and diarrhea that ensued forced Jason to spend the night on the floor just outside the bathroom so he could successfully make it to the toilet as often as he required, which turned out to be about every twenty minutes. Poor boy! He was utterly useless to me for a couple days and since he represents half of our party taskforce (to be realistic it’s more like 40%) his illness was a significant blow to our preparations. To make matters worse we weren’t 100% certain at that point that it was his shot, and not some contagious disease, that made him sick so we didn’t know if an extended allotment of time on the toilet was my inescapable destiny. With the future a question mark and manpower in short supply I went into extreme party prep mode. I was so distracted by everything I needed to get ready that I am embarrassed, yet quite amused, to report that I forgot to change my underwear for almost three days. Yes, you should be grossed out right now; it’s disgusting and so unlike me! It makes me chuckle just thinking about it.
The Ashleys weren't able to stay too long but they were present long enough for me to pelt Jacob square in the neck with one of my lemonades-mission accomplished.These potion jars were a new addition to our Halloween decor this year. I came across them online and had to buy them. I HAD to Jason.Silas was dang cute wearing one of the witch noses I handed out to the kids. Lauren rocked the contests at our party. She won best costume and her Minnie Mouse pumpkin prevailed in the carving arena.
Despite the unexpected challenges, ones that most people wouldn’t admit to in a public setting such as this, come party time everything was ready and Jason and I were both well. We had crafts and a piñata for the kids again followed by Bingo for everyone. Bingo was a huge hit this year. So many people wanted to participate that I ran out of score cards and there were no free seats at the tables so a few players had to stand. I’ve never seen so many adults under the age of fifty get so excited about that game. It was a lot of fun!
Adam made a great Beetlejuice and won second place for his sweet costume. The Browns' little girls were fascinated by all of our Halloween decor. I love it when kids are wowed by our transformed house; it makes all that work worth it. My mom and dad played nerd and bag lady very well. Maybe these roles were a good fit for them? Jason made this tombstone, along with several others, 6 or 7 years ago and it's been a standard at our party ever since...but always in a new and creative spot.
Our costume contest was won by Lauren with her bride of Frankenstein outfit. She looked fabulous! She also took home the prize for the best carved pumpkin. Way to score Lauren!
This bunch of hooligans is comprised of the costume contest winners and various other party goers that for some reason answered to the call of winner. And yes, you can see Jeremy's bat patch. Bingo was very intense this year. It was fun to see all of the adults going just as crazy for the prizes as the kids.
We hope you, our illustrious band of friends, enjoyed yourselves at our shindig. We thank you for your company, your amusing costumes, and your shenanigans. We will be eternally grateful to you for making our get-together anything but dull! I’d say I look forward to doing it all again next year but I think it will be a few months before I will be able to say that with complete honesty.
If I just succeeded in getting that Phantom of the Opera song in your head then you are exactly the type of person that should have attended the Lords and Ladies Masquerade Ball. I am not ashamed to admit that I will now be humming that tune all day and that I love the mystery and intrigue of a masquerade. Maybe I’ve been conditioned by all those fairytales I read as a child or the chick flicks I’ve cried and giggled through as an adult or maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic but, whatever the reason, getting all dolled and costumed up to go to an extravagant ball is right down the Rachel alley.
Our group looked muy fantastico!
Last year we attended the inaugural Lords and Ladies Ball. This event was conceived by the charity In Our Own Quiet Way as a fundraiser. We had a great time at the party even though the two of us were surrounded by total strangers but this year we were determined that we were going to go to this ball unsolitarily. So we asked around and found two couples interesting enough to be interested in attending with us: my brother Drew and his wife, and Drew’s friends Adam and Abigail.
It's probably best if you don't ask. Drew and Adam played the part of snooty aristocrats well. It seemed to come quite natural to them.
Jas and I have a very large reservoir of costumes so the decision of what to wear to the ball could have been a difficult one but Jason was very keen on sporting the pirate costumes I made about 5 Halloweens ago so, being the perfectly amiable wife that I am, I agreed. (No snickering!)
Our knight in rusty armor?
My costume didn’t exactly blend in with the rest of the ladies at the ball. Most of the girls were dressed in the puffiest girliest costumes they could find and then there was me…a pirate wench ready to make any scurvy blaggard walk the plank at the slightest provocation. But my lack of petticoats and hoopskirts did not hinder my enjoyment of this magical evening.
What fine specimens of manliness. Wait, do I see tights?Searching for buried treasure or Prince Charming? Crawling through a hidden tunnel is fun even if you're not looking for anything but the other side.
This year, instead of holding a formal dinner, food was served at several stations with different city themes. You could wander and snack at your leisure. Each “city” provided more than just things to chomp; they each had their own entertainment and décor as well. We visited Barcelona, Venice, and Damascus and enjoyed the ambiance of romantic accordion serenades, exotic belly dancing, and limber acrobatics. I liked this informal setup. It was nice just to relax and explore the estate with our group of friends.
Even the statues wore masks.They were "required" after all.
The one hang-up of the evening was Drew’s tardiness. Drew and Simone were unfashionably late. Being the enormously nice and courteous people that we are, we refrained from eating as we wandered and waited for their arrival. We should have been selfish and started stuffing our faces the second we got there because by the time Drew arrived, much later than he estimated, the food was already dwindling and the other activities of the night were soon to begin. We did get a taste of Venice and Damascus before we were ushered onto the dance floor but, sadly, we didn’t get a chance to savor the flavor of Barcelona. Sigh. Little brothers are the worst! Just kidding-there are probably a few things in this world more problematic.
Girls rock! Girls wearing frilly skirts rock awesome!Girls on tramps! Need I say more?
Even though we didn’t get to consume as much as we desired, we did get ample opportunity to dance, promenade, and hangout in tepees. It was a lovely warm night with a drooping full moon providing the backdrop to a landscape glowing with clusters of twinkle lights. The company was good, the festivities were jovial, and the cause was worthy.
These stilted men added nicely to the fantastical feeling of the night.
I hope more of you that find the charm and anonymity of a masquerade fascinating will be inclined to join us next year. I know you are out there and I know right now you have lines from that song rumbling around in your brain along with all your storybook fantasies. So why not don a costume and spend an enchanted evening with the coolest people you know?
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