Party, Party

For someone who is usually in bed reading by 8 and asleep by 9, staying out past 9 is a feat. Doing it twice in a row is quite rare. But that's exactly what this weekend brought.

Friday night, we attended a 10th anniversary celebration for our dear friends from church, which was held in the Great Court at Pennsylvania Hospital. The whole affair was tinged with nostalgia, as it was the location of their wedding ceremony 10 years back, and a slide show featured a lovely montage of photos from that day and from joyous days since then. Even the present seemed like a flashback, as everywhere you turned, there were images of kids playing and grown-ups socializing that you just knew you were going to be able to call to mind 10+ years from now. Our kids enjoyed seeing their friends all dressed in fancy duds, making new friends, and eating root beer floats. They fell asleep on the bus ride home, and did not put up a fight when we got home, brushing their teeth, putting on their pajamas, and going right back to sleep.

Saturday night was a gala for Aaron and Jada's old school, which we miss dearly. It was a Monte Carlo themed event at WXPN, and after delicious hors d'oeuvres and dinner items, I luckily parlayed our $50 in "chips" into $250 at the blackjack table, which I was then able to trade in for raffle tickets for the night's many gift baskets. We stayed almost until the end, enjoying the fanciness and the freedom of a night out for a good cause. Amy looked stunning, so I spent much of the evening beaming and introducing her to various colleagues who knew me but had not yet met my better half.

Last night was a "school night," so we were back to our "early to bed" routine. We clearly paid for staying out late two nights in a row, feeling a tiredness piled on top of tiredness. And yet, we had so much fun, with the kids and without, that we'd do it all again, and look forward to future such opportunities to party and party.