Partied out

After being an active part of a graduation party for my brother-in-law, Ryan, this past weekend I remember why I’m putting off a wedding celebration. The party was held this past Sunday. Why so long after graduation? My mother-in-law wanted to wait until after she was done teaching for the summer to have the party, and we were scheduling around other graduation parties. Why a Sunday? This particular weekend was also the same as the Tomah tractor pulls, which Nate always goes to with his college buddies.

For the past two months the party planning has steadily escalated. I helped with groundskeeping this spring to keep the grass trimmed and healthy and the flowers from drying up. The guys built a new retaining wall around a tree on a slope, which was backfilled with rocks this past week. We also spent time tidying the area by the calf hutches, in front of the barn and around the vegetable garden. Inside my main duties were hiding Nate’s collection of mail, papers and miscellaneous junk. I also organized Jacob’s toys and moved my shoe collection from inside the door to the basement.

Starting Saturday morning things got downright crazy. Nate left for Tomah, so we occupied Jacob with his favorite cartoons so the women could start cooking. I sliced three types of melons and strawberries, along with shucking grapes from the vine for the fruit salad. Nate’s mom and aunt began a crazy salad-making spree in the meantime. In the afternoon I took Jacob to pick up the roast beef while the guys hauled in tables and chairs. We had a mad rush of visitors later on as my parents, relatives lending us a tent and relatives in an RV arrived almost simultaneously. That was actually a good thing since we then had plenty of help setting up the tent. I took a quick trip to Unity for pictures of the pulls, then back home to visit with my parents. Dad filled in for Nate in the barn so I gave Mom a tour of the new house.

The next day was as crazy as the first with decorating and getting the last minute cooking and cleaning done. Nate got home around noon, and at 1 p.m. we set out the food just in time for the early birds. About 2 p.m. everyone finally settled down from the final rush and got to enjoy themselves. The crowd cleared out for the most part by 7 p.m., but began to pick up again later in the evening as neighbors stopped in and some guests returned. At 11:30 p.m. I called it quits and carried Jacob, who conked out on the couch, up to bed. Nate came up at 12:30 a.m. after the last guest had left.

Nate and I always intended to have a party to celebrate our marriage. But after this past weekend, I think the family is partied out for now. I know I am.

(Yes, we still plan to have a wedding celebration someday. The way it's going it will be more like an anniversary party though. Progress on the house: loan approved, surveyer coming July 7, plan to close Aug. 1.)