Tag: fun

The Big Party Setup

Unlike the blogging heyday, I took no pictures of the party during the party. So here are a bunch of set up pictures.

Early morning buttercream frosting creation and cake frosting. Making real buttercream is one of those magical cooking experiences. Also, I finished up the lemonade and limeade.

There is a mid-party photo! I took this because Deborah won the drawing, but had already departed. I texted her the picture.

The kitties take advantage of the quiet early morning on the catio. They stayed in my bedroom once the party got going. Notice the very clean porch that my brother pressure washed.

A lot of staging, but not quite ready. On the refrigerator you can see the paper where we kept track of RSVPs.

The party-ready incarnation of the refrigerator.

People came in via the back yard, so we oriented a lot of things there.

On the way in, people could initial which parties they had attended over the years. Plus say how long they had known either of us, and vote on when we should celebrate our anniversary.

A Quick Trip to Seattle, and Then Onward to Bothell

We stopped in Seattle and had lunch with our friend Hafidha (and took no pictures) and then checked in at Anderson School. I basically collapsed at that point. We discovered that the movie 10 Things I Hate About You was on Disney+ so I watched that and marveled at the fact I was just standing in the exact same place while Matt played Pathfinder.

We spent Saturday taking a few walks, eating, and generally lounging. I was so tired I couldn’t concentrate on any books, so I went and bought my old plane companion Variety Puzzles and worked on them.

We Walk to the School Featured in the Movie 10 Things I Hate About You

This is a working high school! It was built as a luxury hotel and then converted to a high school when the hotel went bust, and it remains a high school today. You can see why it stood in for the fictional Padua High School. It looks so fancy.

Here we are with a timer photo.

Look at the view!

Look at the stadium! The field is also featured prominently in the film.

This was not far from the Elks Temple, and I recommend taking the walk if you have the time.

Elks Lodge Photos

I took a few photos of the property before breakfast.

I love the round window and the Monkey Puzzle tree. Those trees take a very long time to grow.

The Spanish Steps are gorgeous. One of my coworkers lives in Tacoma, and when I mentioned I’d recently visited, she said that she had her engagement photos taken on the Spanish Steps 20 years ago.

Little bit of cat art sneaking in.

Because the building was empty for a long time before McMenamins took over, there was a ton of graffiti. Because of that legacy, there is a goodly amount of graffiti art throughout the building. Here’s what one floor looked like before restoration.

Here’s that same floor now. You can see the doorway in the back right of the above picture.

And a picture of one of the artists working on that same lintel.

Our empty ring boxes, the ironing board and iron we somewhat successfully used, and the masks Matt brought along to avoid COVID.

Breakfast, this time with rings.

Post-Ceremony Phone Calls, Dinner, and General Celebration

After we finished with the ceremony, we called our family and friends. I had more calls to make than Matt did, plus I think he left more messages.

While he was waiting, Matt took a picture of his ring.

And his shoes.

This is my favorite picture, curtesy of Laurie.

Here’s the front view, curtesy of Burt.

Then we headed to Viva Tacoma for our take-out wedding dinner. We wandered until we found Mason Middle School (they were the mustangs) and ate while sitting on this bench. I also made a few more calls.

Burt and Laurie also got us a card and a present.

After that, back at the Elks Temple Matt and I trudged up and down the many flights of stairs looking for the answer to the clue so we could get all our stamps. Eventually we had to ask Laurie and Burt for help. I was too tired to soldier on using my own brainpower.

The Wedding Ceremony

We met up with Judge Williams and went to his courtroom to have the ceremony. Thanks to Laurie and Burt for taking these photos. They weren’t just the witnesses, they were the official photographers too!

Signing the paperwork. Burt and Laurie signed too, but there are no pictures of that.

Ring time.

Ceremony done.

Rings on.

Official photo.

Official photo with witnesses. Thanks, Judge Williams!

On our way out, Judge Williams told us that he lives in Tacoma and has a daughter named Sienna. He owns a Toyota truck, but it’s neither the Tacoma or the Sienna. I quite enjoyed that tidbit.

The Big Party!

Patricia and Matt were married on August 19, 2021, in Tacoma, Washington, and they are having a big party to celebrate!

Celebrations in the time of coronavirus…

…are tricky. We planned this party before the Delta variant started surging. Because it has, and because there is still a global pandemic going on, we will follow CDC guidelines and ask everyone to wear a mask indoors. 8/26 update! Oregon guidelines require masking outdoors if six feet of distance cannot be kept. Please wear your mask outdoors if that is the situation.

We’ve switched some activities planned as indoor activities to the back yard and we will change things up as things develop. We are fully vaccinated and hope that, if you are eligible, you are also fully vaccinated. With that said, let’s get into the details of the Big Party!

When: 9/11/21

Where: The Orange Door (Patricia and Matt’s house)

Time: 2:00 p.m. onward

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.

We planned a big party on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. Not ideal, but that’s what we did. As the New York Times said in 2005, “Sept. 11 is a strange, unclassifiable presence on the calendar. It is not an official holiday, and yet it is a day that arouses emotions far more powerful than the half-remembered sentiments behind Columbus or Labor Day.” September 11, 2001 was a big deal in the US, and we will have a way for people to share their memories of that day, if they want to.

Read on for the rest of the run of show!

The Prize Drawings

We have a party passport ready for every attendee. Each activity you take part in earns you a stamp in your passport and one ticket to enter into one of four different drawings for a gift card to one of our favorite Portland places. Plus, there are other opportunities to earn tickets. Gift card drawings will take place throughout the party. You need not be present to win.

  • $50 gift card to New Seasons. Drawing at 4:00 p.m.
  • $50 gift card to McMenamins. Drawing at 6:00 p.m.
  • $50 gift card to Powell’s City of Books. Drawing at 8:00 p.m.
  • $50 gift card to the Portland Game Store. Drawing at 10:00 p.m.

Activities

Ongoing Activities:

Available from 2:00 p.m. onward.

Trivia (indoors or outdoors)—Answer 20 questions written by Patricia and Matt about random (though mostly person-specific) minutia. Much like Patricia’s 10 Years in Portland Pub Quiz Party.

Art (indoors)—Make art with a variety of supplies. Much like Matt’s Graduation & Birthday Art Party and the Art Party.

Photo Scavenger Hunt (indoors and outdoors)—Search the Orange Door and the surrounding block to find and take pictures of a variety of items. Much like the scavenger hunt party Patricia had back around 2004 before she owned a digital camera, so there’s no record of it.

Hanging out (indoors and outdoors)—We’re not drill sergeants. You can just chill. You don’t even have to stand. We’ve got chairs and everything.

Time-based Activities

3:00 Bingo! (outdoors)—Bring your quarters! Use them to buy game boards (25¢ each) and play along as the numbers are called. You get a passport stamp for playing, and Bingo winners get an additional ticket. Much like Bingo at Rosefriend (predigital camera) and Patricia’s Birthday Bingo Party.

5:00 Bring a Song (indoors)—Are you ready to sing? Bring a song. Or a piece, if you are good at music and have a piece ready to perform. You can play your solo piece, sing a solo, sing a sing-along song, or sing with a group of people. Bring your own instrument, or we’ve got a digital piano and a TV that can pull up Karaoke songs on YouTube. If you need a CD player, tell us ahead of time and we’ll rustle something up. Much like our Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Sing-Along Party, or Patricia’s 40th Birthday Karaoke Party (and all the karaoke gatherings since.)

6:00 Shakespeare (outdoors)—Either perform or watch Act V of Wm. Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. We will have scripts and links to access PDF copies of scripts for all performers/readers. Everyone watching gets a stamp, and everyone performing earns an additional ticket. Much like our Soup and Shakespeare Party.

7:00 Board Gaming (indoors)—We’ve got gamer games like Dead of Winter, Spirit Island, and Marvel Champions; social games like Medium, UNO, and Skip-Bo; and a few trivia games. You can also bring your own games, too. We will have multiple tables available for players. Much like the regular game night we’ve been hosting forever. Everyone who plays a game earns a stamp.

Other ways to earn tickets

  • Scavenger Hunt, find all things
  • Trivia 18/20 correct
  • Vote for which anniversary we should celebrate
  • Previous attendee of 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 past parties
  • Known Matt for 5, 10, 15, 20, years
  • Known Patricia for 5, 10, 15, 20 years

But What Will Sustain Us Through This Party?

It’s a long party, so we have choices.

Drinks

  • Tap water, and even ice to put in it! (I know! So fancy!) (Also, Patricia’s favorite beverage.)(Though she likes it without ice.)
  • A variety of sodas.
  • Homemade lemonade and limeade.
  • A selection of beer picked out by a New Seasons employee who is good at that.
  • Red and white wines.
  • A signature cocktail: the Whisky Buck.

Food

  • 2:00—We’ll have platters from New Seasons including the seasonal vegetable platter, the Mediterranean platter, the charcuterie platter, and the brie and fruit platter.
  • 5:00—Casa Maya will bring us all we need for a taco/burrito bar.
  • 8:00—If people are still hungry, we’ll order pizza from Fino.

Dessert

Patricia loves cakes! So much so that she’s making three of them. Patricia doesn’t love wedding cake traditions involving two-person slicing and feeding/shoving, so there will be none of that.

Here’s what we’ll be slicing up:

  • 4:00—The Pink Cake. Chocolate cake with raspberry-tinted buttercream frosting
  • 6:00—Watergate Cake with Impeachment Frosting. Pistachio cake, pistachio buttercream, and candied pistachios.
  • 8:00—Goober Cake. Peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting, plus a few layers of chocolate ganache.

Should I RSVP?

Yes!

Yes, you should!

It will help a lot!

You can RSVP by posting a comment on this post (Patricia will need to approve the comment, so you won’t see your RSVP instantaneously), phoning, messaging, texting, or emailing Matt or Patricia, or mentioning that you are coming the next time you see either of us.

Are you registered?

We have no registry. We own a lot of stuff already. If you are coming to the party, your presence is present enough. If you are not coming to the party, good wishes (sent via vibes, text, email, or the USPS) are also wonderful.

If you are a person who really likes to celebrate things with money, you could make a donation to:

Are you coming to the party? Cool! We can’t wait to see you. Don’t forget to RSVP!

Are you sending us good wishes! That’s awesome! Thanks so much!