The Rehearsal Dinner...

This was my big event of the summer, as far as responsibility goes...I spent a lot of time making plans and decisions – well, a lot of time putting off making decisions might be more accurate! In the end, I decided to be my own caterer with a little help from Costco, Jake’s Western Grill & Bob’s Burgers, and a lot of help from friends and family.

You know how it is when you have an event like this at your home...Suddenly, you are seeing things you look at every day through different eyes. The deck begins to look shabby, not "a little worn". The entry paint color goes from neutral to "blah"...and so forth. This, of course, creates a frenzy of Dutch cleaning and tidying that hasn’t been seen here for quite some time! I got the entry painted (in my defense, it did need it so why not before the dinner!). The deck, porch and all cement got pressure washed, as well as the spider webs knocked down from the house. The yard was weeded, edged, mowed, puny flowers replaced. The threat of bad weather for the week of the dinner resulted in the garage being thoroughly cleaned, and even the horse shed got tidied. Thankfully, the bad weather didn’t come, and we had a beautiful day and evening to have dinner out in the yard.

Cait & I had fun making centerpieces for the picnic tables. Here are a few favorites....

The day of the dinner, family and friends came to help chop veggies and make salads for me. In the afternoon, Deb helped me do the final set up. During the evening, she and Lynn managed the tables and kept the buffet full. My menu included: Salmon, grilled by Randy, Beef Brisket from Jakes, Baby Back Ribs (by Costco), Corn on the Cob cooked by Caitlin, Potato Salad ala Bob’s, Thai Spinach Salad, Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad, Mexican Slaw, Caesar Salad, Rolls. For dessert there was Ice Cream with Raspberries with Two Bite Brownies, and Mini Sugar Cookies (all baked by Grandma Kay.) Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and the food.

We had invited our families – Likkel & Honcoop – and were pleased to have a bunch of Tiffany’s Aunts and Uncles join us as well...It made for a lot of good visiting, and fun. I was so pleased with the result, and it was thanks to many great helpers! My gratitude to all of them!!