I always forget how much work hosting a get together at home can be, no matter how casual the occasion. Especially when both hosts come from families that always ensure enough food for an army. Or three.
While I whipped up the largest batch of guacamole I've ever attempted, and Lauren helped make toothpick caprese salad (thread a cherry tomato, piece of basil and cube of mozzarella on a toothpick, then lightly baste in olive oil/balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with coarse ground pepper and sea salt), Joe ensured the backyard was in tip top shape.
Next up?
Creation of the perfect playlist for the outdoor speakers.
[Alas, we had some technical difficulties so ended up being relegated to radio tunes]
The first to arrive and help with the prep were my parents and Mojo.
One of my closest high school friends, Lisa, came all the way from Temecula with her new beau, Steve. I don't think my parents have seen her in almost 10 years so they spent lots of time catching up.
Joe's kids were awesome and came to hang out.
And to take advantage of the pool with Lauren? Her dance friend Harley.
While most of the food and fixins were in the kitchen.....
The crowd definitely congregated outside.
Where dessert was personally served by a couple of cute and sassy servers.
And Lauren set up another portrait studio (donning her artist hat).
As the sun began to set, Lauren instigated the age-old game of telephone.
Then it was bath time and prep for bed for Lauren. Of course she finagled her way back outside to hang with us for just a bit longer.
Good thing, because she alerted everyone to the stunning light in the sky resulting from the sunset.
The scene truly was magical and everyone watched in awe for quite a while, oohing and awing while snapping cell phone pics.
One last pose, then we brought it indoors as our guests went home and she promptly drifted off to sleep, hopefully dreaming of cotton candy pink clouds, fun with friends, and the promise of doing it all again.
While I whipped up the largest batch of guacamole I've ever attempted, and Lauren helped make toothpick caprese salad (thread a cherry tomato, piece of basil and cube of mozzarella on a toothpick, then lightly baste in olive oil/balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with coarse ground pepper and sea salt), Joe ensured the backyard was in tip top shape.
Next up?
Creation of the perfect playlist for the outdoor speakers.
[Alas, we had some technical difficulties so ended up being relegated to radio tunes]
The first to arrive and help with the prep were my parents and Mojo.
One of my closest high school friends, Lisa, came all the way from Temecula with her new beau, Steve. I don't think my parents have seen her in almost 10 years so they spent lots of time catching up.
Joe's kids were awesome and came to hang out.
And to take advantage of the pool with Lauren? Her dance friend Harley.
While most of the food and fixins were in the kitchen.....
The crowd definitely congregated outside.
Where dessert was personally served by a couple of cute and sassy servers.
And Lauren set up another portrait studio (donning her artist hat).
As the sun began to set, Lauren instigated the age-old game of telephone.
Then it was bath time and prep for bed for Lauren. Of course she finagled her way back outside to hang with us for just a bit longer.
Good thing, because she alerted everyone to the stunning light in the sky resulting from the sunset.
The scene truly was magical and everyone watched in awe for quite a while, oohing and awing while snapping cell phone pics.
One last pose, then we brought it indoors as our guests went home and she promptly drifted off to sleep, hopefully dreaming of cotton candy pink clouds, fun with friends, and the promise of doing it all again.
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