Yesterday we celebrated Lisa 50th Birthday with a huge bash that I've been planning for weeks. Originally, it was supposed to take place in the backyard, but Mother Nature was proving to be a little unpredictable. Instead of moving the party to our rain date, we decided to take our chances. I'm glad we did. Not only was Mother Nature kind, Lisa's 50th Birthday Bash turned out to be fabulous and a night to remember.
On Friday, I completed most of the prep work. I diced a ton of veggies for my Italian Pasta Salad, the sandwich wraps, and the marinated cukes and tomatoes. I made Lisa's favorite cracker spread. By the time Lisa arrived home from work, I was ready to make a few loaves of zucchini bread, cookies, and her birthday cupcakes. Lisa assisted with a few of the indoor preparations before heading outdoors to mow the lawn.
After a yummy dinner provided by our dear friend Kim, we tackled a few more things and then called it a night.
We got up early yesterday morning to get everything in order. I finished up the pasta salad, marinated vegetables, made a huge variety of wraps, made the buttercream frostings for the cupcakes, and put the final touches on everything else.
While I was doing all of that, Lisa arranged the tables in our DIY Dog Mom Project room. Due to the unpredictability of Mother Nature, we wanted to open the kitchen up for optional seating just in case. The DIY Dog Mom Project room became the party food room.
It worked out so well that we may just do that for any big parties we host in the future.
Lisa and Kim set up the canopies in the front yard. They used the biggest canopy to shield the front of our covered porch along with industrial plastic. They did a fantastic job. Our live entertainment, Jonny Debit, would stay dry if it rained.
A few guests arrived early including my friend from high school and her son. It gave us time to catch up before everyone else arrived.
The party started at 3. Jonny Debit played his first set shortly before 4. He's an exceptionally talented man who we hired last year to play at our Anniversary party. A lot of our guests remembered him from last year and couldn't wait to see him perform again.
I had a chance to sit down and watch most of his performance before heading inside to put all of the food out. By then, a lot of the guests had already arrived.
And, our neighbor friend, Char, had time to run home and change into her Country garb complete with her cowgirl boots and hat. She definitely got into the music and left an impression with her line dancing. She's got some moves!
We. So. Love. Her.
After Jonny's second set, we had Lisa's cupcake ceremony. Jonny sang a special rendition of Happy Birthday after we all sang. Then, it was time to blow out the candles.
The rest of the evening went fabulously. We got a brief downpour that lasted 10 minutes, but Jonny continued to play and everyone stayed dry under the canopies.
When Jonny Debit was done with his last performance set of the evening, Kim brought her Bose speakers down and the music continued. Both Char and Kim danced for an hour on the porch. We had an absolute blast!
Most of the guests left by 10. A couple stayed behind to visit inside and help with the cleanup. We had a great time. Kim kept the music going. We sipped the delicious honey wine that Barb brought.
Everyone left around 11. Lisa sat at the table and opened her gifts and cards. I munched on cheese and crackers. I was hungry. Throughout the entire evening, I had only eaten a few crackers with my Hawaiian Spread and a wrap. I never made a plate of food.
We chatted for a bit. Both of us were exhausted.
We both had a fantastic time. We were grateful for all the help we received with setting up the canopies, putting the food out on the tables, and to those who assisted with the cleanup.
We were thankful that Mother Nature spared us for the most part. A lot of Connecticut had multiple torrential downpours throughout the day and evening. We certainly couldn't complain about our 10-minute bout of rain.
More so, we were both beyond grateful to everyone who showed up to celebrate Lisa's 50th Birthday. It was a night of incredible performances by Jonny Debit, scrumptious foods, lots of laughs, dancing, singing, and spending some quality time with some of our favorite humans.
Happy 50th Birthday, Lisa!
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