block party
I am typing to the sounds of the block party in my front yard. We are the lucky/unlucky location of the annual party on our block. Three years into this, I haven't yet decided how I feel about this. It's nice, in theory, because we sure don't have to travel far to party. There are one hundred people in my front yard or in the street in front of my house. It's not that great when, as is the case right now, we are done for the night but the party is not. Experience has taught me that there are hours left in the party.
It has been a full day. Four soccer games in locations all around the metro St. Louis area. A last minute invite for Luke to join a neighbor at Six Flags. A first grade Nerf War for Drew and five buddies in Kirkwood. An overdue trip to the grocery store. Block party prep since Ben and I were co-hosts of the party and had some responsibilities like setting up movie projectors and a face painting table. By the time the party actually started this evening, I was ready to call it a day.
We hung in for five hours, but things were going south quickly. In a thirty minute span of time, both my boys got hurt in the bounce house (I hate bounce houses. Really, really hate them.). Katie was lost for about seven minutes, having wondered in the dark to a neighbor's house without letting us know where she was. Bear got out because someone not in our family opened our side gate and left it open. (We never use that gate.) We called it a night and came home to wash face paint off of our faces, brush the teeth that have been eating who knows how many cookies and brownies and popcorn and soda over the span of the party, and wind down.
Ben is back at the party as I sit next to overtired littles trying to fall asleep. The music is shaking the windows of our house. Bear is whining and barking because he knows there is a party going on just outside his boundaries.
As I was walking through the party a little while ago, one of our neighbors said to me, "I think I've decided that this should be a weekly event. Every Saturday let's just block off your street and have a party like this. The kids can just run and we all get to sit around and drink beer around a firepit." I might have agreed with him a few hours ago, but at this moment, I'm pretty sure once a year is quite enough for me.
I will add because I feel like if I don't, I haven't painted an accurate memory of this annual tradition- I really did have a great time for most of the party. I have lovely neighbors and it was great to share a meal with some of my favorites while also getting to know some new faces. I don't dislike the block party (probably obviously since I agreed to co-host it...), I just am not very good at huge parties..... and am really not good at huge parties that last longer than four hours..... and am even more not good at huge parties that last longer than four hours and my children and puppy are getting hurt/lost/loose. I was overwhelmed.
It has been a full day. Four soccer games in locations all around the metro St. Louis area. A last minute invite for Luke to join a neighbor at Six Flags. A first grade Nerf War for Drew and five buddies in Kirkwood. An overdue trip to the grocery store. Block party prep since Ben and I were co-hosts of the party and had some responsibilities like setting up movie projectors and a face painting table. By the time the party actually started this evening, I was ready to call it a day.
We hung in for five hours, but things were going south quickly. In a thirty minute span of time, both my boys got hurt in the bounce house (I hate bounce houses. Really, really hate them.). Katie was lost for about seven minutes, having wondered in the dark to a neighbor's house without letting us know where she was. Bear got out because someone not in our family opened our side gate and left it open. (We never use that gate.) We called it a night and came home to wash face paint off of our faces, brush the teeth that have been eating who knows how many cookies and brownies and popcorn and soda over the span of the party, and wind down.
Ben is back at the party as I sit next to overtired littles trying to fall asleep. The music is shaking the windows of our house. Bear is whining and barking because he knows there is a party going on just outside his boundaries.
As I was walking through the party a little while ago, one of our neighbors said to me, "I think I've decided that this should be a weekly event. Every Saturday let's just block off your street and have a party like this. The kids can just run and we all get to sit around and drink beer around a firepit." I might have agreed with him a few hours ago, but at this moment, I'm pretty sure once a year is quite enough for me.
I will add because I feel like if I don't, I haven't painted an accurate memory of this annual tradition- I really did have a great time for most of the party. I have lovely neighbors and it was great to share a meal with some of my favorites while also getting to know some new faces. I don't dislike the block party (probably obviously since I agreed to co-host it...), I just am not very good at huge parties..... and am really not good at huge parties that last longer than four hours..... and am even more not good at huge parties that last longer than four hours and my children and puppy are getting hurt/lost/loose. I was overwhelmed.
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