Monday, November 11, 2013

Cheers to 40 Years!



This weekend we celebrated Andrew's 40th birthday with a big bash on Saturday night, followed by a mildly drunken run over the Pell Bridge the following morning.  Not my finest hour in planning both events back to back, but I couldn't have imagined the weekend any differently.

When my parents throw parties my mom is planning for weeks on end and is always stressed.  In fact my sister and I not so secretly make fun of her ability to agonize over every detail.  Until this weekend I had never quite understood the immense scale of work that goes into throwing a big party.  I think I spent 3 months planning for this weekend and it was over in 6 hours.  I wouldn't say its a let down, but man does your body all of a sudden feel the weight that has been lifted off.  I am still recovering after a 2 hour nap yesterday and 11 1/2 hours of sleep last night. Whew.

I went with a beer theme, because Andrew LOVES beer. Probably more than most people, and not just any beer, but yes, the King of Beers. Budweiser. I know, I cannot believe that Bud Heavy is his favorite. You'd think after 40 years Andrew would have acquired a better taste palette.  So, I decided to embrace his love of the King of Beers and greasy, unhealthy food and center his party around it. I have to thank my addiction to Pinterest for the inspiration of the party.  I scoured the internet for weeks coming up with the perfect favors, table decorations, signs and food. I borrowed decor and dishes from dear friends and scored the perfect Budweiser jacket from my friend Maaike.  I filled an embarrassingly large shopping cart at Trader Joes 2 days prior and stocked up on beer and beer pong essentials. I ordered a special Budweiser cake 4 weeks in advance at the Newport Sweet Shoppe. In other words, I spent a lot of time trying to make this party as perfect as my mind could handle. And I had a great time in the process.

cheers to 40 years birthday decor

a cold one for the old one

40th birthday beer party theme




40th birthday pint glasses with stickers

birthday party food

Budweiser cake for Andrew's 40th birthday party




Our friends came from all over - Maine, Connecticut, Newport and New York.  It really made me realize what special people we have in our lives.  Sunday morning I felt incredibly blessed. I have only lived in Rhode Island for a year (and that's kind of a stretch having been gone in the summer) in such a short amount of time friendships have blossomed and I can say that these people make me feel at home.
This quote sits on my desk, and I cannot find it to be more true at the moment…


"Funny thing about joy, is that you only really find it when you are too busy HAVING fun to go looking for it." 

40th beer birthday party with Budweiser jacket






Sunday morning we woke up at 4:30am after a 3 1/2 hour nap to drive into Newport and participate in the Pell Bridge Run. I had bought tickets for our 2 year anniversary this July and Andrew had been dreading only one thing: waking up early.  In fact he said he would train for waking up early, not the running.  In other words, he thinks "the early bird gets the worm" is bullshit.

So off we went to Newport with Andrew still intoxicated for a 4 mile run.  His "smart ass" was in rare form.  It was an experience I will never forget.  I have been fascinated with the Pell Bridge ever since I moved to Newport and find that bridge one of the prettiest in the world.  I even used it for a photography project last winter.  In other words, the idea of running over it as the sun rose made me ecstatic. And it was truly incredible. They close off 3/4 of the bridge for an hour so that 4,000 runners can run from Jamestown to Newport for a 4 mile race to the finish at the Newport Yachting Center at 6:30am.  I had slightly trained for the run and by that I mean I had run a few miles for a few days in the past 2 weeks.  Andrew on the other hand had only talked about running…and waking up early. So Andrew's goal was to not throw up. And I am proud to say he did not throw up and actually had a good time in the process. It was a beautiful morning at 55 degrees and overcast - we could not have asked for a better experience!









 And so, with the weekend and party over, I feel almost empty and without a goal. I am having that moment of "what now?" But then I am reminded that it's back to the grind.  It's back to house projects and businesses and my favorite holidays.



3 comments:

  1. Hi! Where did you find the pint glasses? Did you give them out as favors?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pint glasses I got from the Dollar Store and I ordered the "chalkboard" labels from Round Label Shop and the kiss labels from QuiltedPolkaDot on Etsy! So easy!

      Delete
    2. Yes, we did give them out as favors though we have a TON left over!!

      Delete

 
Blogging tips