I've resided at my place for over a year & a half now and I have yet to throw any kind of party. Granted my sister threw her holiday dinners but I always hid from hosting duties for several reasons:
- I never got the house as clean and 'perfect' as I wanted it to. I don't like having people over with the bed unmade, the bathroom not squeaky-clean, or the kitchen looking like a tornado hit it.
- I was too lazy to clean the house. Either something always came up (being sick, studying, crafting) or I just wasn't in the mood. Few years ago, I was NEVER like this and I hope someday I set myself straight and go back to that earlier mentality of being a neat-freak.
- I didn't want to clean up after the party was over. I've been to several parties so I know the deal. No matter how hard anyone tries, you're going to have some sort of dirtiness that has to be cleaned up right away, whether it's the sink full of dishes or the handful of trash bags that needs to be taken out.
I put aside my immature reasons and decided it was finally time to host a party of my own. Mind you I've never done this before so I wanted to keep it small and simple. I invited a few of my close girlfriends for a potluck & sleepover party. I'm not much of a cook so I figured potluck would be best plus with the amount of drinking we'd be consuming, sleepover would be the next best option. I gathered everyone in an email and set the party in motion.
Unfortunately I didn't realize that I had a HESI exam to study for the day before the party. Instead of using last week to clean up the house, I studied my butt off hoping to pass with flying colors (which I did!!!). Even after the exam was over, I was so tired from pulling an all-nighter that I slept most of the day. At night, my sister and I went to a local diner for some beer and burgers. Because of my big 'nap', I couldn't sleep all night so I watched old Bollywood movies until my eyes started to close on its own.
The next day I woke up late, feeling so tired. I knew I had to do something with the house so I went to each room and tried my best to make it look decent. After a while, I stopped caring about how everything looks and thought it's better for my friends to see the real me. I still had to head to Wegman's to get a few things like breakfast and last minute party supplies. I didn't start cooking until 7pm and one of my guests had already arrived (who didn't cook and instead brought delicious munchkins from D&D haha). I got lucky because the meal I cooked took about an hour - hour & a half. I just needed to season the chicken and bake/broil it in the oven, along with potatoes and onions.
By 10:30pm, all my girls had arrived (even a sweet surprise guest!) and it was time to dig in and eat. Everything was delicious, from the baguette and brie cheese to the homemade chocolate cake. We even got to celebrate our friend Maria's birthday with cake, champagne, and lots of white wine. I swear by the end of the party, we all finished 4-5 bottles of wine (and I still have a few unopen bottles left!).
Most of the guests left by 1:30am and then there was just me and two besties from college. We continued our party, drinking and watching Dirty Dancing on Netflix (I never watched it before...). We sang along to all the songs and reminsced about the college days again. I don't think I've laughed as much as I did that night - my stomach started to hurt because I couldn't control my giggles. We didn't go to bed until 4am!
We woke up at 11am, although it definitely felt like 8am. I made breakfast for my last two guests before they left. Overall, I'd say this party was a huge success! I was so nervous about everything going right but at the end, all that mattered was that everyone was having fun including myself. I know now that I can actually cook and prepare a meal for 8-10 people, I don't need to be so embarrassed by how 'imperfect' the house looks and that I'm an okay hostess.
I definitely plan on havin a few more parties/bbqs this spring/summer. I'm hoping to get more patio furniture and a bigger grill before inviting more people. I also want to do more party planning and decor, maybe even have themed parties. And next time, I will take more photos! I'd love to host my next party with a picnic theme to it. Anyone down?
NOTE: This is part of my 27 things to do while I'm 27 list. I haven't put up the list yet (duh vee!) but my goal is to post the list as well as document my goals into a mini-album. I'll post it as soon as I get started on one!
TODAY: I don't feel sick but I woke up to a sore throat, which only means I better take precaution and drink Nyquil before going to bed. I didn't have any special plans today except to get a few chores and work done. But bestie called for a movie date and I couldn't say no to a free movie ticket! So now I'm racing against the clock and trying to cross off as much things on my to-do list as I can. Ready, set, & GO!
