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Paper Faces on Parade

Masquerade!

Paper faces on parade…

Masquerade!

Hide your face, so the world will never find you.

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 mui fantastico!
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
It's probably best if you don't ask.
Drew and Adam played the part of snooty aristocrasts well. It se
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?
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?
What fine specimens of manliness. Wait, do I see tights?
Searching for buried treasure or Prince Charming?
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.
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 rock! Girls wearing frilly skirts rock awesome!
Girls on trampolines! Need I say more?
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 to the fantastical feeling of the night.
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?

Rachel September 30, 2010 No Comments

Runs with Geex

Some people run with the cool kids…I run with geeks. That’s right, I hang with the dorky crowd and I am mighty proud of it. I am a geek, my husband is a geek, and most of my favorite people are geeks.

The dude wearing this homemade stormtrooper outfit was more than willing to take a picture with me and Jacob. Since Jacob is a
The dude wearing this awesome homemade stormtrooper outfit was more than willing to take a picture with me and Jacob. Since Jacob is a hardcore Star Wars freak I think he eyed this guy's costume rather lustfully.

Because the currents of nerdery run deep within our group, it should surprise no one to discover that some of us found ourselves at the Geex Expo, a gaming and electronics show, recently. Jacob, Jeremy Rowley, and my brother Drew were eager to check it out so we all headed up there for a Saturday of geekery.

This cosplay contest participant had one of the coolest costumes I saw at the show but unfortunately I am
This cosplay contest participant had one of the coolest costumes I saw at the show but unfortunately I am not nerdy enough to know what game the character is from.

The Geex Expo has videogame demos, DDR competitions, LAN gaming, and cosplay contests. It also has vendor booths for everything from anime societies to clubs that make their own armor. While we had a lot of fun staring at the geeks in their costumes, perusing the nerdy merchandise, and playing some old school StarCraft, our greatest source of entertainment turned out to be Jeremy.

I
I'm not sure why Jeremy resisted renting a wheelchair at first. He got to be pushed around, ram people's heals, and win pity prizes. Isn't that every dirty old man's dream?

A few weeks ago Jeremy tore his calve muscle playing soccer. This injury was mostly a result of him having weak unexercised muscles according to the doctor, which sounds about right. Jeremy was directed to take it easy on his leg for about a month but because he keeps getting too tempted to participate in activities he’s not supposed to do, like volleyball at Jason’s birthday party, his calve is not healing the way it should. Consequently, that boy’s been hobbling around slower than an 80 year old who just had hip replacement surgery. Jacob and I therefore insisted that he rent a wheelchair at the show for our sanity as well as his comfort. He protested at first but soon he was grateful he didn’t have to walk. I’m not entirely certain we did him a service though by making him get that chair. Having the wheelchair gave him the strength to play DDR at the expo more than a few times, which was definitely not something he was supposed to be doing. He felt more than a little putout that his injury would not allow him to participate in the show’s DDR competition and he consoled himself by getting his dance on before the contest began. He would dance a song and then hobble back to his wheelchair and complain about his throbbing calve but then a few minutes later we would find him drifting back to the DDR station like a moronic moth to the flame. I’m not sure why he felt so compelled to play DDR at this event given he has his own exquisite homemade DDR pads, which he himself claims are better than the ones they had at the show. Whatever the ill-devised reason, and despite mine and Jacob’s protests, Jeremy wound up playing DDR a number of times until his leg hurt so bad he could barely even stumble back to his wheelchair. While the thought of Jeremy’s idiocy makes me shake my head and roll my eyes even now, it did prove quite amusing and I’m sure it will continue to entertain as we make fun of him for it through the years.

DDR beckoned to Jeremy like a
DDR beckoned to Jeremy like a siren's call. For its sweet song and sexy arrows he happily hurt himself over and over again.

There may have been many snicker-worthy nerds at the Geex Expo either parading around in their World of Warcraft costumes or skipping meals and showers to play LAN games nonstop until their eyes were ready to riot but, in my opinion, nothing quite compares to the nerdiness of one Mr. Jeremy Rowley who completely disregarded explicit doctor’s orders because he just couldn’t handle watching other people do DDR without doing it himself. Jeremy’s actions may seem only borderline eccentric until you once again remember that he owns a perfectly good DDR pad that he can play with at home at anytime. Yes, it is that last bit of information that reminds us that Jeremy is not just your run-of-the-mill mildly-unstable geek but an uber geek. Feel free to nod your head in disbelief or snicker right now-whatever you feel is necessary and befitting-I feel it necessary to do both.

Rachel August 3, 2010 1 Comment

La Fiesta de Jason

Jason is a pretty fantastic man and as such he deserves to have a super fantastic birthday celebration so I always aim to make his special day as memorable as possible.

Jason got to open all his present while breakfast was cooking except his iPad
Jason got to open all his present while breakfast was cooking except his iPad- that silly thing came a few days late.

This year we both took work off on his birthday so we could spend a nice relaxing day together. We slept in and I made him Upside-Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans for breakfast, which was pretty good but next time I make it I’m going to alter the recipe a tad.

This was Jason
This was Jason's birthday breakfast. It was pretty tasty but I have a few ideas on how I can make it even better.

After our leisurely morning we caught a matinee of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and then went to a sushi place in Salt Lake City called Takashi for dinner. This restaurant is consistently rated as one of the best in the city and I now see why. Yum. They serve a lot of unique fusion style rolls there that are loaded with spice and flavor. The best roll I tried was a vegetarian one called the Shiva; it was packed with jalapenos, shishito peppers, avocados, and cilantro and then dipped in a yuzu balsamic sauce. Try to contain your drool; I may not be able to contain mine.

Jas was ready for some fiesta style volleyball in his fashionable sombrero.
Jas was ready for some fiesta style volleyball in his fashionable sombrero.
Sombreros
Sabreros

The following day Jason’s birthday may have technically been over but the partying continued. I planned a little birthday outing with our friends in the park. I dubbed this event “La Fiesta de Jason” and ordered Mexican catering from Café Rio to feed the partiers: salad with creamy tomatillo dressing, fresh chips and salsa, pork enchiladas, black beans, lime cilantro rice, key lime pie, and tres leches cake. Muy delicioso! We ate a lot and chatted while we gobbled even more. No fiesta is complete without a piñata so after dinner we hung one from the playground monkey bars and let the kids go at it. After the piñata was successfully torn down and disemboweled, the adults gathered at the net for a couple games of volleyball. We played until it was too dark to see and then sang happy birthday to Jason so he could blow out the candles on his key lime birthday pie. It was a pleasant summer evening spent with great company and more food than you could shake a stick at. I must admit that when it comes to party planning I do alright for myself.

After all the kids had a swing at the pinata, we let the adults give it a try. It was actually my uber powerful (no snickering) hit that
After all the kids had a swing at the pinata, we let the adults give it a try. It was actually my uber powerful hit (no snickering) that brought that baby down.
The boys were living la vida loca at the party...
The boys were living la vida loca at the party. I think they needed to lay off the loca a little.

Although Jason, as always, had a bigger deal made out of his birthday than most people ever do, I’m not sure the festivities adequately paid homage to such a spectacular husband and friend…but I did also buy him an iPad so that should help make up some of the difference.

Jason only managed to blow out a small grouping of his candles on his first attempt. Pathetic.
Jason only managed to blow out a small grouping of his candles on his first attempt. Pathetic.
Rachel July 26, 2010 No Comments
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