A couple days ago I met a new blog, the glorious and crafty Joyful Weddings & Events. If you like entertaining, parties, DIY projects, or downright adorableness (which SOSer doesn't?!?) - just do yourself a favor and take a look at this site. I should also mention, you'll need about four and a half hours to spare and a cozy spot in that sweet little soul of yours for a new, mostly healthy, addiction.
In any case, one look at this blog and you'll understand why I've had the entertaining bug ever since. For my fix, I decided to throw a little soiree... a peace offering of sorts for the girls I'm leaving in Miami when I'm in San Diego for the next two months. Which, in Miami time, could feel like the break in seasons between 30 Rock. In other words: FOR-EV-ER.
In preparing for this party - aka. a festive preemptive apology of sorts for the devastation caused by the lack of my presence* (which, might I mention coincidentally coincides with a possibly brutal hurricane season... I know, it's like I planned it that way!) - I did the following:
- Checked out Courtney's Joyful blog
- Channeled some Martha (Stewart, not Graham... though I wish I could do both... AT THE SAME TIME. "And take a look at this human being. This gorgeous dancer doubles as a marvelous high backed chair perfect for any living space. It's a GOOD THING.")
- Ran to the grocery store for construction paper, Bloody Mary mix, and party food (cut fruit, frozen pizza, pita chips, those pastry wrapped party weenies... you know, the works)
- Decided to substitute a cheap Elmer's glue stick for the crafts as opposed to the industrial strength glue gun... seriously, the Chinese could use that as an economical welding method for all those Beijing skyscrapers.
- Vetoed the purchase of a Cricut even though the voices in my head tell me it's the best idea I've had since I didn't drink Tequila that one Friday.
So. After a quick workout Wednesday AM (oh, did I mention I decided to throw the party on a Wednesday night? Like mid work-week? Not the best decision for anyone who's fully employed or expects a turnout the size of which rivals Miami's White Party) I got to work. Look out here's another list:
- Cutting, pasting, and stringing a banner flag reading "Lovely Ladies"
- Creating the paper poppy you see in the photo (Martha Stewart template you can find here)
- Wrapping plastic utensils in floral napkins and construction paper ring napkin holders
- Adorning holding vessels vases for utensil packets (old peanut can covered in floral napkin, and the cut out letters "eat"), toothpicks (green stripe with raffia bow), and vases (simple frosted white card stock)
- Snipping some large leaves and palm fronds in a totally legal way from non-private property so I could pair them with glass vases and candles on the coffee table... simple, low-cost centerpiece people!! And TOTALLY legal.
- Making hummus - always heavy on the garlic (Oh I'm sorry, can you smell my breath from here? Is it offending you because I'm not sorry, my hummus ROCKS.)
- Heating up frozen pizza and cutting it into cute bite sized squares
- And of course, mixing a heaping portion of Bloody Marys
Did I mention I was only expecting five people?
Did I also mention that a couple hours before the party two of them had to drop out?? And yes, the girls that couldn't make it just happened to be the only med students who originally RSVP'd yes. And just like that it was down to three.
This sort of change of plans should not surprise me anymore. It has nothing to do with the girls - they don't have flaky personalities - but it does have everything to do with the fact that they decided to be responsible med students... a decision, I admit, I thought completely bogus at the time. ("Booooooo responsibility! Booooo!!!")
Though I was clearly bummed - I wanted to share a revelrous evening with them before I headed west and, granted, show off some crafty cuteness in the process - I should know by now that a change in plans such as this comes with the territory for med students especially. So the key, as we have learned, is to adapt. And here's where the SOs shine again.
When you're an SO, I find that most of your friends are med students, residents, doctors, or other SOs; of course, it was the SOs that came through Wednesday night. These girls are amazing. It was a true SOS affair. We had an intimate party of me + three SOSers: Meredith (surgical assistant at Soluna MedSpa; married to general surgery resident), Kelly (a PhD in Cellular Microbiology; married to radiology resident), and Jill (Cardiology clinical lab researcher - Jill let me know if that's correct!; long time dating radiology resident), and I cheersed our Bloody Marys high in the air. And we made sure to drink one extra for the fallen soldiers back with their books. They would have wanted it that way.
You may wonder, "Andrea, Why go to all the trouble of going to such an effort for a party that would have been just as fun as eating delivery pizza and/or wine out of the box?" You know, the crafty preparation was just as much for myself as it was for my guests. It felt great to get creative, and now I even have decorations for my "I'm Back Miami!" party in November :)
Things may not always go as you envision, but your attitude - and your friends - are truly what will bring you out on top.
A huge THANK YOU to Mer for the delicious cupcakes; to Kelly (Dr. Kelly!) for the magnificent deviled eggs, introducing me to the concept of pickles in Bloody Marys, and the ride to the airport; and to Jill for her out-of-this-world spring rolls with, like, 7 kinds of dipping sauce! Jill - we may have to post that recipe before too long!!
*This is a joke. I'm not a megalomaniac, and I'm certain no devastation to any degree will occur. But at the offchance it does, Zinfandel helps.
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