Party with the Peeps!

As I said in my previous post, I am always up for a trip. Something I never have been a fan of however is parties. Yep, I said it. I was a party hater. I didn't like having parties and I didn't want to go to parties. Don't even get me started on "showers". Wedding showers, baby showers, please don't make me go!!! I know, I know, you want to know why?!

At wedding showers, you watch the bride open, over and over again, crap that she will never use in her life as she pretends to love every bit of it. Formal china, formal glasswear, formal silverwear, formal schmormal! All of that stuff merely clutters up a china cabinet which clutters up a dining room, and it leaves you feeling obligated to use it occasionally because it just cost everyone so dang much. 2 toasters, 3 crockpots, 4 sets of rubbermaid, and a partridge in a pear tree. All useless.

At baby showers, once again we gather around to watch the cute little mom to be open gifts. Some she will open and have no clue what to do with. (The blue bulbous "booger sucker" as we called it... Who knew you'd have to do THAT?) Other things that are opened we just "ooh and ahh" over, and the mother-to-be coos over how cute it is. (While in the back of my mind I think, "That ruffle is going to irritate that baby to death... They think that will STAY white?") I'm sure I'll change my mind when I'm watching one of my four daughters open those gifts, but it all sure has been painful for me so far.

Parties for me in the past have involved being with people I barely know or don't care to know, talking about things that I don't even care about, wearing things that I hate, and listening to stories that would bore me nearly to tears. I've forced myself to laugh at things I didn't think were anywhere near funny, and I've maintained eye contact with people during stories to the point that I should be given an Academy Award. I've sat drinking my Diet Coke while watching idiots around me become bigger idiots, drinking God knows what. Okay, so you get the picture. I've always hated parties.

Well, darn it, I have been partying with the wrong people! I have these friends now, the Varners, who throw the best darn parties this side of the moon. Okay, that's my opinion, but if you can win me to a party, it's a really good one. They have this wonderfully beautiful home that is just super conducive to parties. As my husband has said, their home is like being at our second home. They set up the tables, let us lay out all the food and drinks, and they enjoy it all with us without stressing over how 50 people are milling about in their yard somewhere. That sure takes a special spirit. The latest blowout was a luau this past weekend, and I saw pictures from the party this morning. You know what stood out to me? In every single picture, everyone there was either laughing or smiling, and it wasn't any of that phony, award winning stuff. We genuinely have fun when we are all together. Whether we were sitting around talking while the kids swam, yep, swam in April, or we were learning to shag from one of our good friends (who happens to be our associate pastor), we were happy and enjoying ourselves. No drama, no stress, no craziness, no drinking, no cussing, no stupidity (but a LOT of silliness), just good old, downhome, family fun.

I have the best friends in the whole wide world. They have led me to a new place in my life. They helped me get over my hate of parties. I think they just happen to know what a party is really supposed to be. Now that I look back on it, I think that before I was just attending social gatherings. Now, I really know how to party....

Just don't make me go to a shower.