Grad Party

I'm finally getting around to posting about my graduation party. Unfortunately, I don't have very many pictures. I forgot how busy you are when you are the host! I'm not used to playing that role since my condo isn't big enough for entertaining. I look forward to buying a house down the road and hosting some parties... but probably on a smaller scale than this one!

I was super nervous about the weather, but it turned out pretty well - in the days leading up to the party, I told myself that I needed to be happy with the weather as long as it didn't rain. And luckily, it didn't rain - so I guess I can't complain. It was a big on the cool/windy side, but it was sunny - all in all, pretty darn good weather for a May day in Minnesota!

The party kicked off around 3 with a bunch of appetizers. My mom's 2 sisters were there early on Saturday and helped with all the prep work which was wonderful - as a result, I was able to sit down for a bit at the beginning of the party and get some pictures taken.

Here I am with 3 of my 4 nephews. The 2 older ones (James & Andrew) were happy to pose but Kolin had just woken up from a nap so wasn't too happy about posing... luckily my SIL had some M&M's to bribe him with!

Kolin was much happier on my dad's lap, aka the Baby Whisperer. He is so popular with the boys. They have all been so drawn to him since they were infants! I think it might be the fact that he is kind of the calmest person in our family!

My other nephew Matthew is also quite a fan of Grandpa. He gives him a stare down quite often - similar to what you see in this picture. I guess the Baby Whisperer can communicate without words or something!

The weather was cool, but that didn't keep the boys from playing with their water guns. It was fun to watch Kolin - he wanted to do whatever the older cousins were doing! James helped show him how it worked.

I got one last photo with my friend Brooke before heading in to start getting ready for the main meal. Brooke is one of my best friends - we lived together during college. She came up early that day to help get ready. I am so thankful for all the help I had! I tend to get a little bit on the stressy side, but the help from my parents, siblings, aunts, and Brooke kept me from getting stressed out!

We ate dinner around 5 - here is a picture of the spread. Needless to say, no one went hungry! My brother Kevin took care of the meat since that is his forte. He cooked up 2 pork shoulders, which is about 36 lbs of meat I think, and also bbq'd 8 chickens!!

I believe there were about 50 people there, so we had quite the crowd! Here's a shot of some of them enjoying the meal.

All in all, the day went really well. I didn't get much of a chance to visit with people, though, which I kind of felt bad about. I know that is part of being the hostess, but I still feel guilty. I guess I just need to let it go, though!

At the end of the day, we were all pretty exhausted! Here's one final shot of the Baby Whisperer reading to two of my nephews!

I think they might like books almost as much as their auntie! :)

I'll leave you with a recipe for one of the salsa I made for the party - it is sort of my signature appetizer. It's so simple, and so good!

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 red onion, diced
1-3 clovers of garlic (I use 3 but I love garlic…)
1 red pepper, diced
¼ c. finely chopped cilantro (more or less depending on how much you like cilantro!)
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. crushed red peppers

Combine ingredients and chill before serving. I think it’s better if you make it a day ahead of time, or at least 4-5 hours ahead so that the flavors can all combine.

Enjoy!