Party Centralized

Okay, I didn’t think there was any way we could match the fun and camaraderie of the son-MEF engagement party from earlier this summer.  Yesterday my daughter’s crew from NYC gave it a pretty good shot with a totally outstanding gathering. 

It helped that we had a lot of the same characters to include the son, MEF, neighbors, the Worcester chapter of the Panamanian Mafia, and in a rare weekend appearance, the Keene Friend.  The day started with a household full of late rising New Yorkers and a panicked discovery of a breakfast faux paux involving frozen bread dough.  It was so fun having a full house again and I reveled in the chaos.  Buddy and his new, un-shy friend Riggins were constantly charging around adding to the fun and the bedlam. 

Buddy and Riggins

The afternoon arrived and a rare timely appearance by my older sister which was semi-shocking.  I think she and the most excellent brother in law were drawn back because of how much fun the engagement party was.  Since they were significant donors to that good time this was an auspicious start.  We were soon overflowing with a great mix of friends and family and everybody seemed to get along famously.  Some of the kids took over the television but parents and I decreed the back yard was more appropriate where they had a lot more fun. 

Yard Games Under Son in Law Supervision

My son in law was frustrated that no ski poles were available and charged out to purchase some to balance beer bottles on top of.  He takes games very seriously.  He and the New York crowd braved the late cloud of mosquitoes to play games well after sunset. 

Best Part of the Party - Having Son and Daughter Back

I promised my wife that I anticipated no problems with the grill this time out.  She was skeptical and I admit to a small amount of prayer on my part as I started it up.  Everything seemed fine so I went into grab the burgers slated for immolation.  I was distracted for a few minutes until I glanced outside to see a huge cloud of smoke billowing from the grill as well as not a small amount of flame.  The grill apparently was working just fine as it was amount to achieve melt down temperature. 

Dinner is Served

The food was my wife’s usual supreme effort as the party moved inside coincidental with the arrival of the insects. I sat back and just basked in being around such a great group of people.  The MEF’s parents also made the effort to  come down and added their usual touch of excellence. We even had a birthday cake for one of the New Yorkers.  My daughter had sent a very embarrassing photo of the birthday girl to me earlier in the week.  We had that transferred to a cake which she took with a lot of good nature.  I even sampled the cake in a small non-keto moment.  My son in law counseled me that since I have achieved my target weight I could now choose one day a week to eat whatever I want.  Friday Zorba’s pizza – here I come! 

Birthday Cake Revealed

Of Course We Used the Sword

We snuck away from the wife long enough to turn on the Red Sox game which quickly drew a large crowd which prevented summary involvement by the spousal element.  The Sox dominated and it was a lot of fun watching the game with a bunch of like minded fans. 

Son and MEF Enjoying the Game

As with all these affairs, time ran out before the fun did.  The elders headed upstairs while the New Yorkers, determined to keep partying, established residency in the basement.  Our house, newly equipped with eight bedrooms, very slowly slid into the evening.  The downstairs bedrooms had a little harder time achieving sleep due to the aforementioned NYC seizure.  It was a day of realized hopes for a truly memorable party.

I'd Put These Guys Up Against Anybody - Why Party Was So Much Fun
Keene Friend, Sister, Bro in Law, Son in Law

Even Riggins Was Partied Out