As mentioned in yesterday’s post, my birthday didn’t just consist of a weekend getaway; Eric and my mom spearheaded a proper party celebration with some help from my friend Rachel. Now, this wasn’t a surprise party by any means, but this was my first birthday celebration in my adult life that I didn’t have a hand in planning! For this control-freak/former event-planner… this was foreign territory! In the end, it was almost like a surprise party!
Eric took the lead to get the ball rolling. He hacked my email account and sent out an Evite to the people he believed I’d want there! How sweet is that!!! I seriously had 43 printed pages of contacts in my personal gmail account and he went through each and every one! If that’s not dedication and love, I don’t know what is!!!
Then, he broke down the details of the party. I had mentioned that a wine tasting party sounded fun, so he took that and ran with it! After some discussion with my mom, they decided to do a wine and beer tasting party since some the guys are big wine drinkers! In the Evite, Eric and my mom told all the women to bring their favorite bottle of wine ($15 limit) and all of the men to bring a 6-pack of their favorite micro-brew!
Then, he decided to make things a competition!!! Ya, we get competitive up in this house on birthdays! After all… this is a “tasting” and what’s the point of a tasting if you don’t have a winner! We even had official score cards and bought prizes for the winners!
Eric, my mom, and Rachel took care of the food. But seriously, I was so pumped about the party that Eric let me help with the menu planning and food prep. 
It was sooooo fun! I tried several dishes that I’d never made before!!! Our main goal with food was to not be cooking during the party, but to enjoy ourselves!
The menu included:
- DIY easy-peasy pulled pork sandwiches (crock pot full of pulled pork and buns on the side- easy and scrumptious)
- Grilled ham and jalapeno muenster cheese paninis with fresh fruit (blueberries ad raspberries)
- Gourmet cheese and cracker plate
- Bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip
- Basil, mozzarella, and cherry tomato skewers, sprinkled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Rolled asparagus with cream cheese and salami (you’ve got to try this!)
- Chips and Meyer Homemade Salsa (this is serious business around here)
- Chips and homemade onion dip
Unfortunately, no pictures were taken of the food before the devouring began, so you’ll just have to appreciate the goodness of the food via half-eaten pictures…
The party was set for 6:30 pm and guests arrived on the nose. Honestly, I was overwhelmed by the turnout. The party was planned to be a smaller, intimate gathering of my closest friends and family, but we ended up having about 30! I definitely felt the L-O-V-E!
As for the tasting competition, everyone had a blast and was super diligent about filling out their score cards. But… I think there might have been some competition “fixing”… 
And here were the lovely winners! Becky and Greg took it home… (slightly suspicious since they’re a couple… hmm…)
Sometimes life is just too busy and you don’t get to spend the time you’d like with all of your family and friends. This party was a simple reminder to us of just how fortunate we are to have such amazing family and friends. I love each and every one of you and you made my day more special than you could have ever imagined. <3
In the end, the party was a smashing success! There were smiles and laughter all around and the party didn’t shut down until about 2am! What can I say… people were having a good time!
Again, I couldn’t be more thankful for our many blessings, particularly our family and friends. You all make our lives wonderful!
Special thanks to my amazing husband, my do-it-all momma, and my wonderful friend Rachel for making it all happen! I think we might have just found my annual birthday tradition!!! 
I’LL MAKE SURE AND DO A FOLLOW UP POST ON HOW TO THROW A SUCCESSFUL TASTING PARTY AND WHAT OBSTACLES WE RAN INTO!
