Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Graduation Party

I wish I had a "do-over." After planning and preparing for a month, the party was over so quickly.

Ian's graduation party was in our backyard but the day was shared with Jeremy Harding who lives across the street. Ellen (Jeremy's mom) and I shared all the planning and divvied up the tasks according to our strengths and our needs. Ellen took care of the beer and the food and I took care of the wine and the decorating. Perfect team! The food was delicious, the yard looked fantastic and we had plenty to drink.

I started the party camera in hand, ready to capture every moment and guest. This lasted about 5 minutes. I am hoping to get more pictures from Ellen's sister who snapped away all night.


I loved these memory boards! I'm guessing other people did also since there was always a huge crowd gathered around throughout the afternoon. Of course, I was attaching Ian's pictures about noon on the day of the party while Ellen's had been completed for weeks. I'm sure I was the driving force behind many a beer at Ellen's house during the month of June.

Rob is welcoming his brothers, Jack and Jim and his nephew Kevin to the party. This was my favorite part of the decorating and my best idea. I was trying to create a "welcoming" entryway and offer additional seating in case the back yard became too crowded. It worked and many kids hung out in this space later in the day. I wish I could have this space all year.
Do you think a pergola would be excessive?


A view of a small part of the backyard. I really tried to plant only maroon and white annuals but the plants were not always cooperative.

Alex came to the party for a short time. Here he relaxes with Hilary and Chuck. I'm guessing that Joey is in the pool. Joey was ALWAYS in the pool and he had a lot of company as the day progressed.
My dear friends from work came to the party. Carole (on the right) offered many suggestions for centerpiece arrangements throughout the weeks leading up to the party. Justin (center) lives only 2 blocks away and kept Ian in pocket money all year. He and his fiance, Erika, have a young boxer that needs walking on the days that Justin is giving piano lessons after school. MaryEllen (on the left) just returned from her son's wedding in DC and was happy to just sit and relax while drinking and not have to pick up the tab. Jim (in his Obama t-shirt for my enjoyment) picked out all the wine for the party. #1 in my book was a 2007 Grenache labeled BITCH. I had fun with that all night. "Who put the bitch in the ice?" "Who left the bitch on the ground?" "Where is the bitch?" You just can't go wrong with a bitch!

4 comments:

  1. No mega trophy on display? I didn't see it near the memory boards! :-)

    It was great that you combined the two parties- looks like everything was perfect!

    Congratulations to Ian and his friends!!

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  2. The mega trophy was there. It must be hidden behind Jeremy's grandfather. ~Susan

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  3. Actually - I didn't see a trophy! It was very nice - in fact I was remarking to the Evans' that you could do a small wedding back there - I was inspired by how great your backyard looks.

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