Party #1

My husband and I always have loved to entertain.  When we remodeled the kitchen at our suburban house, we did it with entertaining in mind.  We had a massive kitchen that could host up to 24 people for a seated meal or 50+ for a mix and mingle event.  We love to enjoy time with friends and family.  Our new place is about 30 minutes further away now, and we worried that the distance might keep folks away. 

My son finally fell in love with football this year.  Sunday afternoons in the fall have always been family football watching time, but the kids tend to wander in and out of the room and just check on scores rather than really watching the way my husband and I do.  That really changed this year.  I suppose it was the fact that the boys where my son takes some of his homeschool outclasses play football during their break time that did it.  He’s become an absolute fanatic.  (The fact that he has hit the teenage years and has testosterone to burn helps too.) 

Two football-field-sized pastures flank our front drive.

Our property is laid out so that we have a long driveway (nearly 1000 feet) that splits our property in two.  Basically, you drive passed two football fields as you come in.  Up until mid-November, these were two large hay pastures, but my son could see ahead and realized that the pastures would be perfect for a football field.  He asked if he could have a football birthday party.  Excellent idea!  This would be our trial run on entertaining.

We set the date and time and invited family and friends—mostly, pre-teen and teenage boys.  I expected about half of the ones we invited to come, but just about everyone came.  I made sure to prep parents for the distance of the drive and provided detailed directions since not all GPS systems know where we are (only iPhone gets it right—Android sends you across the street or to a demolished house up the road).  I even warned parents of the construction site behind the house and of the fact that we have only one bathroom (and that I typically tell the guys to go behind the shed or find a tree).  Even the threat of a seriously muddy pasture didn’t keep anyone away.  It ended up being one of the best birthday parties we have ever hosted—essentially 15 teenage boys playing football for 3 hours straight, stopping only to eat cupcakes (decorated like footballs, of course) and pour water, Gatorade and/or Dr. Pepper down their throats.

While the boys played football, I gave moms tours of the “before” house and explained my vision and plans for the “after”.  Some parents stayed and visited.  Others checked out Buccees or local antique shops.  Once all the friends had gone home, family stuck around for a casual steak dinner. 

It was a great first party!  We look forward to many more to come.