We hit a pretty big milestone here at the JustB ... Lt.Dan turned 50.
I remember when 50 years old sounded
... well ...
old.
But now, not so much. It's young. Quite young.
Don't let those people in their twenties tell you anything different.
So we marked this auspicious occasion with a party. Not the mad-hatter's tea party that was creating chaos in my head ... it was an awesome party ... the best party ever yet!
I wanted the evening to have a feel something like this lovely party I found at Tuesdays With Dorie ...
this was the most beautiful 16th birthday party, given for her niece. Dorie's inspiration was The Secret Garden. My inspiration was Dorie :o)
We decided our best spot to work with ...
was right outside the garage on the driveway.
We wanted a country feel and used haybales to help create that ambiance ...
which gave Lt.Dan an opportunity to use the tractor, and that always makes him happy.
We used small square bales ...
to cover obstacles in the grass that people might trip over.
Some kind of backdrop was needed inside the garage, so I spray painted "JustB 50" on two large paint drop cloths and we hung them with curtain clips from a clothesline strung across the inside of the garage.
I got the drop cloths at Home Depot for about $13 each - they're plastic backed and nicely durable.
I used curtain clips to attach it to the line, and it worked best to fold down the top about an inch
so the cloth wouldn't tear when we hung it.
Lt.Dan and Billy set up the lights ...
they used uprights from an old gazebo, with poles, guide wires and physics to stabilize.
This elegant glassware ...
She and my sis-in-law made these awesome shirts in honor of the occasion ...
and check out the back ...
we all have our "enlistment" dates - when we came to know Lt.Dan.
And notice who's CAPTAIN, please ... ha!
This little man ...
has been in the posse his WHOLE LIFE!
We rented tables, table cloths, chairs and chafing dishes from BigD Party Rentals ...
they delivered!
As party favors and to promote general rambunctiousness ...
(thank you Jessica for this picture!) everyone got a cowbell.
Because any reference to this Saturday Night Live skit makes us laugh
A LOT.
It was our dear friend Kathy's birthday, too ...
and her daughter Jenny sent her a wonderful birthday gift - a girl's trip to Ft. Lauderdale? YES PLEASE!
But Jenny's tribute poem was the real kicker. Still puts a lump in my throat.
We love live music and have been fans of Mr. Buzz Andrews for a long time ...
he's an entertainer extraordinaire and definitely knows how to work a crowd ...
the Birthday Girl got her own special serenade (thank you Paula for this picture!).
It didn't take long for the dancing to start ...
and for the cowbells to ring!
The birthday cakes ...
came from the Brookshire's bakery.
And they were definitely worthy ...
of a little cowbell!
Dinner was courtesy of On The Border ...
I ordered six of their fajita dinners that feed 4-6 people each. That included chicken and beef, tortillas, lettuce, guacamole, pico de gao, cheese, sour cream, refried beans, black beans, hot sauce and chips.
Ordering it from On the Border's "to-go" menu (thank you Ben for picking it up!)
was much cheaper than ordering from their catering service.
It was plenty of food and we had just enough left over for a day after lunch ... and it was DELISH!!!
This is Lt.Dan's buddy Darrell ...
I can't remember why he's taking a bow ... probably for bringing his wife Angela to the party.
Darrell was the first to call Dan "Lt.Dan", and he does so with a proper Georgia boy twang.
Those two can quote Forrest Gump and O' Brother Where Art Thou lines all. day. long.
The hammock ...
may have been the best seat in the house.
The weather forecast was for 100+ degrees,
but pop-up thunderstorms and clouds in the area dropped the temps at least 10 degrees ...
and we were blessed with a breath-taking sunset!
For us, one of the BIG highlights of the evening was that Buzz and the band
let our son Nathan play with them a while ...
(thank you Jessica for this picture!)
just beyond cool in every way!
The whole evening could not have gone any better ... we have the most awesome friends, they made it a grand party. We have lots of funny stories that will be told and laughed over for a long, long time.
My one regret is that I didn't take more pictures ...
but there sure is a lot of joy in just living the moment and ringing that cowbell!
Happy Birthday, Brother Danny. . . . or Lt. Dan.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a GREAT time was had by all. wish I could have been there.
Tim Tillinghast
Thanks, TimT … would’ve been so great to have you with us ... you could've told some "back when we were youngsters" stories on the birthday boy :o)
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