Family Housewarming

As Tim & I moved into our new condo at the end of July, mid-September was finally time to have a Housewarming, to celebrate with our family this new life we've so happily begun.  We decided to keep it really small - just immediate family and a few uncles - the perfect size for our 1300 sq ft condo and the beautiful gazebo in our neighborhood.

I organized my pants off for several days - planning the menu, cleaning the condo, filling in the moms on how they could help, orchestrating pick-up and drop-off for those coming from out of town, etc.  Luckily I had the help of my parents (who came down from Philly early) and Tim (who came home from NY early) - and I immediately began assigning tasks to make sure we were totally prepared.

I am quite proud of our menu:

• Appetizers - 7-layer dip, spinach baklava, salmon dip, strawberry-mango smoothies
• Entrees - chicken/steak/veggie kabobs, fruit salad, corn on the cob, garlic bread, grilled potatoes, rice
• Desserts - chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, baklava, brownies

It was all so delicious and ended up being just enough for our family of 16 guests including Momi, Papi, Maggie, Britny, Christine & Michael Wenzel, Mat, Rich & Lauren & Maddie Kimmel, Lou King & Harriet Langlois, Amy & Bill Ratcliffe, Eleanor.  I can say with enthusiasm that I am in love with our families - they are so smiley and supportive and outgoing - it made for a wonderful day.

There was football watching, cornhole playing, constant eating, story-telling, and laughing.  As I looked around the condo (when I wasn't frantically hosting a gathering), I couldn't help but smile.  Smile at the 3 small dogs running around... smile at my boyfriend standing by the grill overlooking our first hosting meal... smile at our families engaging in deep and fun conversations with people they met just an hour ago... smile at my sister re-living the suburban life she left 3 years ago... smile at 2-year old Maddie giggling and loving the center-of-attention feel... smile at this home that Tim & I created from scratch, a real gem in the eyes of our parents, who smile back from across the room.