Halloween Party

DISCLAIMER:
I'm not as crazy as this post makes me sound. P.S. There are lots of pictures, but hey, I like pictures.

AN IDEA:
My friend Tiffani and I thought it would be fun to throw a Halloween Party. Little did we realize what a big ordeal pulling off a party could be, especially when it's a costume party and there are lots of cute party ideas we want to copy from Southern Living and Martha Stewart (they're not as easy as the magazines make you think).

BEFORE THE PARTY:

As you now know, Scott decided to epoxy and paint the garage last week . . . SO the day of the party, all of the clutter from the garage was still in the living room. Half of the food still needed to be prepared, the paper bats needed to be cut out and hung, the DJ lights needed to be set up, the house desperately needed to be cleaned, and I needed to make my costume. The night before, I made a list of everything that needed to get done before the party started. To make it more efficient, I prioritized the list and consolidated items into "what can I get done in an hour" groups. After doing this, I realized it would take me 11 hours to prepare for the party that started at 7:00 pm. (Of course because I knew I had so much to do the next day, I couldn't fall asleep until after 2:00 am.)

After waking up before 7:00 (this is a rarity for me, so 6:58 = before 7:00), I immediately started on my list. While preparing chocolate cookies in my 3rd hour, my sister Susan called because she needed me to check something really important on the computer (I assumed it must be the status of an order for her at-home-business). I was extremely stressed, knowing that if I didn't stick to my schedule, "crap" would hit the fan. When I exasperatingly asked her what she needed, she said that she needed me to check out two different blog templates to see which one I liked better. . . . Are you kidding me? That's the really important thing that I had to drop everything for? Blog templates? I told her I would check when I could and call her back with my opinion. A few hours later, she called again to see if I had had a chance to check the templates yet. . . . Again, are you kidding me? Templates? I was trying to organize my entire life (or so it seemed), and I only had five more hours left to do so.

Bless Scott. He had to put up with my psychotic mood when he got home from a long day (and night) at work. I let him sleep for a few hours, but as soon as he woke up, I put him to work. However, every time I saw him, he was always doing something that I hadn't asked him to do . . . mind you, he was still cleaning, but it wasn't in the order I had previously assigned, so it completely threw me off my schedule. I was losing my mind! and it finally hit me that I needed food! and a shower! So, I took a break, took a shower, and did my hair (one less thing to worry about for later), but after I did this, I became delirious. All of a sudden, I didn't have a care in the world, and tossed my schedule out the window. I was happy and dancing around the house with my hair so big and curly that if I sprayed it red, I could have been Raggedy Anne, or Annie. (There's a costume idea. We could have been Annie and Daddy Warbucks . . . perfect!)

The living room before (this doesn't really even show how bad it was).

The living room after - Scott is setting up the DJ lights.

About an hour before the party was scheduled to start, Andrew and Tiffani showed up to help with last-minute preparation. By then, I was much more normal. Andrew and Scott finished hanging up the bats while Tiffani and I set up the food. We were ready for the party to begin.

THE PARTY:

As couples arrived, we took their pictures (kind of like prom - minus the props - well, I guess we did have bats hanging behind them). We talked and got to know each other better, ate, and played games. We started by playing charades - we divided into two teams (boys - black balloons vs. girls - white balloons). We set the timer for five minutes, and whichever team popped the most balloons and acted out or sculpted (with clay) the most items on the pieces of paper, won. (The boys kicked the girls' butts - I think they cheated.) After that, we played "Signs," a game that's too complicated to explain. Overall, the party was a success.

The back of my scrubs said "Psych Ward," and one eye is dark while the other is bright (I wanted it to look like I had bi-polar disorder, but it just looked like I got punched by a patient).

Andrew, Tiffani, and their little boy Carson. It was Andrew's birthday, so it was especially nice of him to consent to wearing a dress on his special day.
The boys hanging out from left to right: Josh (who's hiding Ben), Scott, Andrew, & John Leslie, Catherine, & Tiffani

From left to right: Cherrie, Brandon, Lindsay, Baby Zoie, & Rob The Party Planners

THE GUESTS:

Catherine & Josh

Susan & John Ben, Baby Sara, & Leslie Robin & Eric Lindsay, Baby Zoie, & Rob Randy & Cherrie (Randy was a 3 Musketeer, but nicknamed himself the gay pirate.)

Tammy, Baby Dillon, Baby Maddie, & John
Crystal, Brandon, & Baby Hailee