Party Prep

I've had almost a week to recuperate from the chaos, so I'm going to finally get some pictures posted!  I honestly went through a bit of a depression once the party weekend was over, and it took me quite a few days to have enough energy to accomplish much.  I absolutely love to plan events, and enjoy the list-making, planning and preparation of the big day.  I think I function better when I have a goal in mind and work to accomplish all the to-do's before my time-line.  This party was probably the biggest event I've pulled off, though, so I was very drained by the end of the weekend and required a couple days of staying in my jammies and reading mindless books.

I can't explain how much FUN it was to LIE and LIE and LIE for weeks prior to the party!  I had many moments when I was just dying to blurt out some exciting detail of the event, but then had to turn the news into a lie when speaking to Ryan.  Life has been so boring and normal since I had to start being honest again!

I spent many weeks cleaning the entire house from top to bottom.  I even did things like organize the pantry, clean the windows, wipe all the walls, scrub the light fixtures and trim down the bushes in the yard.  It was no small undertaking, but it's so nice to have it all done!  As for decorations, I planned out how many tables (for future reference - 7) and chairs would fit nicely in the basement, then borrowed them from the church.  I had several people ask why I chose an 80's theme.  I just thought it would be fun to relive those extravagant days, and Ryan is pretty stuck in the 80's as far as music goes.  Plus, Ryan graduated in 1989 so he was really living the 80's through all his teenage years.  And I have to add that I always thought it would be fun to throw an 80's party because it was just the best decade EVER!

For center pieces, I bought some popcorn buckets, put tissue paper inside, and stuffed them with an 80's movie and theater-sized candy.  Then I sprinkled more candy around the bucket and added a few neon balloons to each table.  The centerpieces doubled as prizes.

I made this sign after coming up with the idea of a Pacman theme.  I have to admit that I think it turned out pretty dang cute.  This picture doesn't do it justice, because the letters were puffy and glittery, and I even added googly eyes to the Pacman and ghosts.  Then I put up a small table and filled the shelves with pictures and memorabilia from Ryan's life.

I had Updike Barbecue cater the event.  I ordered enough beef brisket, pulled pork, jalapeno corn and baked beans to feed 100.  Everything was a huge hit, but we have been eating barbecue leftovers all week!  I also ordered 150 cupcakes from a new store in town called "Cloud Nine Cupcakes."  They were so excited for the large order that they ordered in these cute Pacman molds and made white chocolate figures to add to the tops of the cupcakes.  I ordered seven flavors, and they were all HEAVENLY.

I also made a quadruple batch of Tiff's Cowboy Caviar, and got rave reviews from many guests.  My only disappointment was that half the avocados I bought were rotten, and I believe that avocados are the BEST part!

I went online weeks before the big party and ordered several large posters to hang on the walls that added to the 80's theme.  Then I bought a bunch of frames at Walmart and hung them all over the basement.  Again, I'm going to toot my own horn on this one.  The posters looked so good and really added to the decorations in the room.

I made three versions of "Ryan's 80's obsessions" to give to guests.  It was quite difficult to go through all the 80's songs on Ryan's iTunes and only pick 50 of the best!  I made about 20 copies of each version, and laid them out on a table for guests to sort through.

These are some of the pictures I framed and mementos I displayed.  I love the tiny Ryan shirt, torn-up teddy bear and blue blessing outfit.  I also opened several of his yearbooks to pages that displayed his accomplishments in high school.

I borrowed some frames from Christine, but ended up purchasing quite a few so I could more easily display all the photos.  There are some pretty embarrassing ones in there where Ryan is showing off his muscles back in the day!

Besides these things in the basement, I borrowed an Atari that was being played upstairs. I will add all the rest of the party details in the next post!  For now, I need to head to bed because Ryan and I are spending his actual 40th birthday at the Omaha temple tomorrow.