Hat Party

Q. What do you do when you have alot of beer to drink??

A. Invite all your friends over to drink it!

Sometimes when I drink I like to wear hats.  I also have an affinity for making Joey try on fun hats at Disney World.  I seem to gravitate towards them.  I didn't realize what kind of problem I had until I decided we needed a "theme" for our party.  So I went and dug out all the hats in my collection.....

Peyton, Joey, and part of the hat pile

Beer pong

The bride to be

Good view of the hat pile

Nicole and me

I even Skyped my sister in for the fun!

The beer is gone, we have a fridge again, and all my hats are now in the same place. 

Sigh.

Happy Monday!

~SG

Civil War Party (Part III)

Saturday morning started out bright and early with a 7 mile run.  We are training for a half marathon and we knew we had to get it out of the way before the party.  My sister tagged along because she is youthful and athletic, and since it was cooler and misty out, it was actually pretty nice.

Then we came home and finished decorating, dropped the pins down the street, and ran to the store for balloons, cake, and a few other odds and ends. Around noon, my brother and his fiancee arrived.  It was the first time they'd seen the house, so I gave them a little tour and asked them to imagine it without Civil War decor everywhere...

The party was scheduled to start at 1, but of course 1pm came and went and it was just me and my family members sitting around pre-gaming.  By 2pm a few friends began to arrive. Around 2:30, the kitchen was filling up with people, but the North was WAY outnumbering the south and we were missing some key players (i.e. Joey's entire family). 

Joey was feeling impatient but I told him we'd start at 3 no matter what.  Luckily, everyone else arrived before 3.  As I was gathering people to the kitchen to inform them of the rules, I was informed that the South had already seceded and was drinking the Natty Light and the Busch Light, which were for the games only.  So we were off!

The first set of tasks was to drink a 30 pack of Busch, a 24 of Natty, a bottle of wine, a fifth of liquor, and eat a pizza.  The North's strategy was to get everyone on the back porch to shotgun as many beers as possible.  The South's strategy was to get on the beer pong table.  There was a bit of a discrepancy over whether throwing up the beer you just chugged counts as actually drinking it... but I'll leave that where it is.

Each side was also given a pack of cigarettes to smoke.  There were plenty of smokers on each side, so those that don't didn't have to partake.  It was interesting to see grown men with 7 cigs in their mouths at once....

The pizzas came out at the perfect moment, and I believe this is around the time I tried to give the Gettysburg Address... fail.

Then it was time for the games.  Beer pong, flip cup, and we were supposed to have corn hole, but it didn't make it to the party.  There was also a canteen chug that turned into an arm wrestling contest.  Again, don't want to bring up a sore subject.

The last part of the challenge was the team events.  There was a photo scavenger hunt, a puzzle race, and there was supposed to be a 3 legged race, which would determine the outcome of the "war".  But it never happened.  By this time, tempers began to flair over testosterone-ridden competitiveness, and I was just concentrating on keeping the peace.

The first wave of people left, and another wave arrived, so the party had a fresh new group of people!  There was another beer run, more beer pong, and we partied well into the evening.  At some point, somebody got me a huge bag of Smartfood Popcorn, and I definitely ate the ENTIRE thing.

Good thing we ran 7 miles, eh?

Even with some drama, some barf, and my injury, it was still deemed an epic party.  Everyone had a great time, and I had to wait quite a while before there were only 24 people left so I could hand out the "medals".  (Should have gotten two packages!)

Another theme party in the bag.  Looking forward to next year- no ideas yet... but I'm open to suggestions!!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the party:

Me and Robert E. Lee

Us w/Bob

Late night w/ Bob

Alex and Corinne, and Bob

My birthday cake

Flip Cup

General Gish and General Gish

The North

The South

Puzzle Competition

Completed puzzle!

Photo Scavenger hunt (Grandmother willow and dog leash)

Some of the winners w/Medals

It's All Fun and Games... (Civil War Party Part II)

“It’s all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.”

There was quite a bit of foreshadowing to my injury on Saturday.  Enough that I’m a little creeped out by it all.

The above quote is not only a common saying, but it’s also the last words of CAPT Billy Bones in Muppet Treasure Island. (…)  So it explains why my Mom told me to have fun, and said this quote to me last week before the party.  At the time, I laughed and thought well, that’s morbid!

The second thing that happened was when I was setting up the chairs backing up to the couch.  I thought, hmm, somebody could hit their head on these if they sat down too fast. 

So it’s time to tell the tale.  The party was in full swing. All the alcohol had been drunk (well, the “required” alcohol) and the teams had moved on to their next set of tasks.  People were milling about the kitchen and basement, when I decided it was time to recite my version of the Gettysburg Address….

So I turned off the music and called for everyone’s attention.  I kicked off my cowboy boots and stood up on the couch.

And promptly fell forward, smacking my forehead on the corner of one of the chairs.  I felt my head and saw blood immediately.  I ran into the bathroom to look and Joey’s all “She needs stitches!”

Ow :(

My friend Gage, who trained to be an EMT and is a Mom, (which definitely counts) pulled me upstairs to the master bathroom to get a better look.  Somehow, she found the hydrogen peroxide, bandaids, gauze pads, and q-tips in my bathroom without having to ask me.  Which I’m so impressed by because I’m not really sure I could find all of those things on my own….

After the bleeding stopped (I’m sure the alcohol thinning my bloodstream did not help), we all got a closer look.  We, and two other EMT’s in attendance all determined stitches were not needed.  However, Gage said, the rule was that if I was going to keep drinking, I had to wear a bandaid on it. 

UGHHHH I was SO ANNOYED.  I didn’t want to ruin my party by wearing A BANDAID ON MY EYE.

So Gage mastered a plan, cut a bandaid into a really small suture, stuck it on my eyebrow and colored in the part of the eyebrow that was covered by the bandaid with eyeliner.

TADA!

Angry face.

All fixed.

The party continued, I read my Address to the crowd (and got a huge round of applause), and eventually I took off the bandaid.  It revealed a small cut, right underneath my eyebrow.  It’s currently almost healed, just a little bit of a scab and some yellowing around the skin where it’s slightly bruised.

You can  barely even see the cut in this pic.

I think I got off pretty lucky. 

So remember folks, It’s all fun and games until somebody loses an eye. (or an eyebrow).

I guess I’ll have to do a Part III since this is so long. Womp.

~SG

Civil War Party: Part I

The Civil War party was 110% a success.  We had about 40 people throughout the day, everyone participated in the events, and we never ran out of beer (although we went through about 2 kegs worth...)

I've shared alot of pictures on Facebook, so I thought a way to not repeat myself would be to share how I decorated the house. 

There was a battle going on in the downstairs bathroom.  These little army men did not make the cake cut, but they had other duties!

I made outhouse signs for the bathroom doors, so people would know what they were.

Robert E. Lee.  He was expensive, and someone (I'm pretty sure my brother) punched his head off towards the end of the night. RIP Bobby.

The island was set up with the challenges- Directions, flags, empty cases to fill with cans, wine bottles, puzzles, and some snacks.

It was rainy, but I still put some decor outside cause I knew people would be smoking out there.

Draft Sign up.  As people arrived, they signed their name on the appropriate side!

Signs on our bedroom doors, noting that it was our headquarters. AKA Do Not Enter!

The Information Station! Alllll of the information I have recieved, books that we own, and other Civil War related items were displayed for everyone to see.

Living Room decor.  I actually stuck the streamers and balloons on with straight pins.  It worked alot better than tape would have.

Civil War recruiting posters that I printed out, crumpled up, and stained with coffee.  Displayed these all over the house.  Stuck them to the walls with painters tape.

The hall of the presidents... going to the basement.

Staircase

Kitchen table, pre-food.  We had alot of snacky food, and EVERYTHING got eaten.

So that was how we decorated.  I'll be back tomorrow with a quick write up of how it all went down, including the story of how I split my eyebrow open while trying to read my version of the Gettysburg Address to the crowd....

~SG

I'm 28 Now

...and I don't feel any different!  And I don't have any pictures to show for it, because I asked my sister to pick out a good baby picture of me for the blog yesterday (she's at home for the summer) but she FAILED and never sent it to me.  (That or she had to, you know, work...)

Alas I do not have much of an update because my actual birthday was none too exciting.  We started the celebration Tuesday night because I was asked to substitute teach a baby ballet class on my actual birthday.  Tuesday, we did a quick run in the sweltering heat, and without showering, jumped in the truck and went straight to Chik Fil A!! I got my #1 and my milkshake and was a very happy camper.  When I got home, Joey (who can't keep secrets, remember?) gave me my present.

OMGGG I totally have wanted one of these foreverrrrr!! I sent him the link for it a looong time ago, and last week when I sent him my Stella and Dot wish list, he mentioned that he'd "need me to send the link for that other necklace too".  So I was pretty confident I wasn't getting it for my birthday.

He totally surprised me!  Funny anecdote- I mentioned that normally, monograms have the last name initial in the center.  He said "I know, but I thought it looked weird. I think it looks much better this way."  And you know what? I  have to agree with him. I always think that is weird, I'm not SGE... I'm SEG.  Duh.

Anyways... so that was Tuesday.

Wednesday morning when we woke up, I asked Joey how many Facebook birthday wall posts I was going to get.  He guessed 154.  Last night, at 11:30pm, I was at 153 and totally astonished!! I finished the day with over 160 and I am just overwhelmed with how many people wanted to reach out and say Happy Birthday. Through FB, email, call and text, I recieved so much love and I consider myself very lucky!!!

Wednesday was a typical work day, with a presentation thrown in the mix.  After bolting out of work slightly early, I got home, Joey had dinner ready, and I headed off to the dance studio to teach some mini ballerinas.  The studio owners even busted out the tutus and play jewelry since it was my birthday.  It ended up working very well as a bribery technique... "Let's do 3 more echappes and then we'll each get another necklace to wear!".  Sigh...

When I got home, I was presented with a card from Doc and Chloe, with all the "e"s written backwards.... haha.  We cracked a few beers to celebrate and our friend Peyton stopped by to hang out. 

All in all, I had a great birthday.  And the best is yet to come.... this weekend it's PARTY TIME!!!! Stay tuned!!

~Older and Wiser SG

They're Watching You...

This isn't creepy at all......

Boring Weekend

That it was, indeed!  We are gearing up for the big party next weekend, so we've been working on finishing up a few things around the house and trying not to spend any money.

Friday night Joey and I were sitting around the kitchen table, working out the details for Saturday and drinking a few beers, when our friends/neighbors/brother-in-law showed up.  We made a quick detour to Cheeseburgers In Paradise for a couple beer tubes and some chips and guac, and then it was back home to bed cause Joey had to work on Saturday.




Pooooor Chloe



Party Planning/Fun with the "edit" button

Saturday I tried to sleep in, but the pins wouldn't have it.  I ran some errands, got a cheap lamp for the room-that-shall-not-be-named, and worked on finishing up the last odds and ends in the basement before the carpet was installed Sunday.

Chloe decided the lamp was not welcome in our home, and after standing in front of it barking for several minutes, she got up to get a closer look....... and sat there for a really long time. Staring.



Chloe vs. Lamp



(Please note, later I realized if I plugged it into the bottom socket and moved the table, it would look better.)

Saturday night we were supposed to go out for a friend's birthday (Happy 30th, Ryan!) but we were tired from working and working on the house, so we stayed home and baked cookies....

(break and bake, duh)

Aren't we cute.

Sunday was THE BIG DAY.  I have been waiting for this day FOREVER, as you well know, because the basement is the bane of my existence.  I'm not going to give you a full photo tour cause there is quite a bit more to do down there, but here are a few phone pics I snapped :)

Carpet- CHECK.

Looking at the steps and into the "gym"

The dogs LOVED all the brand new space. Doc was actually a little freaked out at first.  Chloe was running around like a maniac.

First picture we hung. Christmas gift from my parents. This poster was hanging in the Desmond front entrance on our wedding day.

Had to break it in for the party this weekend. Are we nuts for allowing beer pong on a new carpet?? Yes.

The first step is admitting you are crazy, right?

So that was our weekend. Totally not exciting.  But this week is shaping up to be fabulous.

A. My birthday is on Wednesday.

B. I got to pick what we get for dinner and we are getting CHIK FIL A. Oh yes.

C. Friday we get to run 7.5 miles.... yikes...

D. LOTS of family are coming to visit for the party :)

Woohooo! HAPPY MONDAY!

~SG

It's Been a While...

so I thought I'd give you some HOTD action.

"....the most expensive pet wedding ever."  You mean, there have been others??

Dogs to Wed in $250,000 Ceremony

And no.... it's not my dogs.

~SG

It's Going to be Epic.

So I've kind of been avoiding posting about my birthday party for fear of offending somebody.  In reality, my birthday party theme is not an offensive topic at all- it is a historical event from 150 years ago that is currently being celebrated all over the United States.  Unfortunately, many people are not history buffs, majors, minors, or at all interested in the Civil War.  So they prefer to make up their own stereotypes, etc.  So I guess this is kind of my disclaimer.  If you know me at all, you know I do not want to upset anybody.  I'm going to have a fun birthday party, focusing on the history of the Civil War, with a little bit of a fun twist.  I've been working hard on making it educational (omg. I've turned into my Mom.), FUN, and a great competition.  Everyone is welcome- if you'd like info, please contact me :)

When we bought our house last August, I had just watched "Gettysburg" and was really into the Civil War.  I joked that since part of our backyard is wooded and on a hill, it would serve as an excellent location for the reenactment of Pickett's Charge.  Then I got an idea.  A great idea.

Birthday party: Civil War. 

One problem- Birthday had already passed.  So I've been working on this little beauty for an entire year. 

If you can tell me who all of these people are, I will be very impressed!

Here is the plan:

The Armies:

UNION ARMY: Led by General Sarah Gish, and those who choose to fight alongside her.  The Union army will wear Navy Blue.

CONFEDERATE ARMY: Led by General Joseph Gish, and those who choose to fight alongside him. The Confederate army will wear Gray.

The Battles:

The armies will complete a list of tasks representing 12 key events of the Civil War.  These tasks will include consuming beverages, food items, a completing various games/other tasks. (Maybe arts and crafts? I'm still taking ideas/suggestions!)

How will we choose the winner?
The team to complete their events first will likely win the war, however they must initiate the epic Battle of G****** <- our street name (water balloon fight) in order to claim victory.

Oh yes... it's going to be Epic.

The dining room table is covered in Civil War recruiting posters, period guns, hats, haversacks, canteens, american flags, confederate flags, and a huge pile of local touring pamphelets that mysteriously started showing up in the mail every single day for the past 2 months... (ooooops)......

Even the dogs are ready.

So, grab your favorite bayonet and fill your canteen with beer! Cause this day will go down in history!

~SG

Front Porch Sittin'

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you are probably tired of seeing my in-progress updates every week... but I'm proud of how my vision has turned into reality, and we are pretty much done... I wanted a southern feel, if you remember, so the rocking chairs and ceiling fans were important to me.  Someday we'll wrap this sucker around the side of the house so we can look out over the side yard/to Grandmother Willow (if she survives that long......).  For now, we'll enjoy the view of the neighborhood, or the 360 degree fireworks show we got on Wednesday.

Editorial: So we haven't mulched (yet), the evergreens we re-planted are looking a little ever-um-brown... and the grass is patchy and yellowing.  But it's our home and it's slowly coming together and I'm pretty freaking proud of how far we've come in the past year.  Get excited cause I'm sure I'll post 1000000000 more pictures of it before it's "done".  (Hey, you opted to read this blog. Nobody's forcing you!)


Recent additions include: ceiling fans and lantern, rocking chairs, and a white bench!

It's no southern plantation, but it's cute, right??

Now I'd like to play a little game.  It's called "one of these things is not like the others".  Bonus points if you know the reference.  Can you find it??

~SG