Sisters' Social - August 15th

That was then...

It's been almost 10 years since I served as a missionary for my church in Berlin, Germany. I loved it there. One of the best parts was that since there were so few females, every six months or so, our mission president's wife would do something she called "Sisters' Social." It was a day where the girls got to get out of regular work, and do something fun like go on a day cruise or other things that I don't remember right now. Some of the girls were way outside of the city, so we never saw them, and it was fun to get together for a few hours to play. The guys hated us for it.

I've been thinking the past several months about how much I would love to see some of these ladies again, so what better way than to throw my own Sisters' Social? Of all of the people who live in Utah, only three didn't come (one because she had a baby 2 days before the party), and they brought their husbands and children as well. It turned out well, I think, and it was great to see everyone. I think we'll have to make it a tradition. Here are some shots from the evening:

...and this is Now.

There were 15 kids there under the age of 5. I was planning for disasters but they all played really well together.

Me and my man - the grill master for the evening and yard boy for a full two weeks before. I couldn't have pulled it off without him.

Socializing.

Lots of food.

Calvin sneaking away to sip an apple juice beside the fireplace. Odd boy.

Jenny and Kammie. Jenny mad at Kammie because her new haircut is clearly a Mama Kardashian haircut and not the Kate Gosselin 'do that Kammie accused her of having.

Calvin and Lincoln. I'm not sure if Lincoln was aware of their friendship but Calvin followed him around most of the evening and seemed to have the time of his life. I guess while they were both climbing the slide, Calvin got impatient and passed Lincoln which did not go over well. Calvin pushed him aside, so Lincoln bit him on the arm. His parents were very apologetic, and Lincoln's dad made me laugh when he explained that Calvin "took it like a man" with no tears, or apparent notice of the incident.

Susan and her family. She was one of my favorites. She made me laugh nonstop for months. Also in the area where we were together, there were a lot of crazy people, but she made it bearable. I can't go into specifics without having PETA on her tail. We had so much fun together and I still think of her every single year at Halloween because she may be as big of a freak about the holiday as I am.

Wendy and I never worked together but we had a few classes in German together back in college. I love her because she stayed until the bitter end helping me clean up and haul in the leftovers.

Lindsay spoke better German than any of us and always kept us in line. We love her. We also love that her husband hung out with the girls all night and joined in the conversation. Two days after the party, they moved to Qatar for a teaching position for the next three years.

Suzanne. Another favorite and known all over Germany for her incredible baking. She and I were fast friends and applied for The Amazing Race together when we got home.

Holly and her adorable family. She and I were only together for a short time in a small town, but it was quite memorable. We met up again when I saw her on Oprah (one of the three times I have ever watched it) as a Katrina volunteer in the audience that they were honoring for their services. So we've been emailing for a few years, and now I blog stalk her all of the time. It was fun to see her and her boys in flesh and blood.

Jenny was the last person I trained before coming home. She is this perfect mix of gorgeous, confident, and spunky, so everyone loved her, but then when it was just the two of us her white trash side would come out. She is hilarious and I loved every second with her. And how cute are her boys, Bjorn and Rome?

Jessica - the most cheerful upbeat person I've ever met, both then and now.

Bree went to Germany after I left, so I don't know her but she and I chatted a bit and she was a lovely person.

Kammie - always the poser and always a little spitfire. A party just wouldn't be a party without her.

I had set up tables and chairs by families, but what actually happened was that all of the girls sat together and caught up, while their kids ran around and their husbands chased them. The guys were all good sports. And as for the ladies, it was like picking up where we left off. You'd never be able to tell that it had been ten years.