I love to go to parties. To celebrate and laugh, to see people I don't get to see very often or see people I get to see all the time but love to spend more time with!
Throwing parties, on the other hand, terrifies me. The pressure, the expectation, the possible disappointment and feelings of failure and rejection... there may be lots of other issues behind that, BUT my hope for throwing parties was renewed this weekend when we celebrated my beautiful baby's first birthday!
So what made the difference? I want to remember what made the party a success!
1) I asked for help! My family was visiting from Texas and Peter's family drove down from LA. Without them, it would not have happened! Especially since the only one who could hang decorations from the pavilion roof was my 6'2" brother, sometimes even lifting Peter up! I was able to relax and do what I do well instead of worrying about what I wasn't able to do. And, a big thing for me, I actually did that! I asked for help and then let those who wanted to help do it the way they wanted to. It turned out great. And and it made the prep process just as fun as the party.
2) I set a budget but used it creatively! The 99cent store was my friend! I was able to make 5 dozen cupcakes for about $12! I didn't use the sketchy brands there. They had Duncan Hines, otherwise I probably would have had to spend more. But then I took what I had bought for cheap and put some extra work into it to make them special. I slathered on the icing and layered on the sprinkles. I treated my low-budget cupcakes special and that made them special to me. And they were tasty!
3) I was inspired by the reason for the party! One of the big reasons this party was great for me is because I was really excited about celebrating my baby's birthday. I took these pictures every month throughout the year and the process of printing them off really meant a lot to me. She changed so much and is changing every minute and I want to celebrate how beautiful she is each and every one of those minutes. So, we had to change park locations last minute? We still celebrated. So she had a runny nose and didn't have a single nap that day? We still celebrated. And if it had rained and no one came and Abby had screamed the whole time? We still would have tried to celebrate! (Though I know prayer works because none of those things happened!) And I think my focus on the wonderful reason to party rubbed off on her because I really think she enjoyed her party!
4) Lastly, the most important part of a party is the people that are there! I was so touched by how much our friends love Abby. She's got a few admirers already!
They came to party! They came to help! (Thanks Johanna, Lorrie, Erica, and Jeanne!) And they came to celebrate. It was a beautiful day for my beautiful baby and I might just throw another party sometime.
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