Rockin'-the-Luau

Pardon the journaling tone of this post, the day of the Luau warrants some description for posterity, not because it was so out of the ordinary but because is is indicative of my family's style of party and life at present.

We woke up and had breakfast, we (Eddie and I) tried to sleep in, but they (the girls) don't like to do that unless there is some early appointment we have to be at ten minutes ago. We took our time, and then it began, Eddie ran out the door to get last minute things done and drive over to set up for the party.

At home the girls and I were planning for every possible wardrobe disaster, hunting down every "Aloha" decorated item in the house, and trying to maintain some sort of schedule so that Nina would make it through the day.

Having been out late the night before setting up (late means the girls fell asleep in the car on the way home instead of their beds) the girls needed a tub and shampoo, they were disappointed that I dressed them in long pants, but I knew that the enormous bounce house that was being set up warranted leg coverings for at least the first few hours. Reassured that they would get to wear aloha dresses and lei's later, we had a little lunch, got into the car, made an emergency trip to the craft store and drove slowly to the party. We drove slowly so that Nina and Liana would take a little nap, but it was Saturday and traffic was light, so they still had less than 40 minutes of sleep when we arrived at 1:30.

We arrived at the party to find all well and in good shape, we had all been there the night before setting up the things that could be done early, and Eddie's siblings were there with their families adding the final touches. The girls made a bee-line for the bounce house - can you blame them?
I got to set up the welcoming table, the guest book was fun (at least I think it was) we had guests sign in on a paper flower with their name and the year that they first met my Father-in-Law, and then put the flowers on a time-line so that he now has a garden of his friends throughout the years.
We are not the Rockefeller's or the Hiltons, but I thought the party was festive, we had home-made oversize paper banners, fishing nets and lei's around the party perimeters, and small artificial hibiscus placed everywhere that didn't move (thank you Oriental Trading Co.) Our centerpieces were glass vases filled with sand (thank you Bolsa Chica Beach - I hope it wasn't illegal), miscellaneous shells and a votive candle. Eddie brought Red-Vines, Twizzlers and M&M's to keep us all in good humor as we continued in the set up process.

200 silk flower leis in every color were laid out, drinks were put on ice, pre-dinner snacks were presented, Music was started, and tiki torches were lit.....let's stop here for a moment.

On Friday we had been there to help set up and one thing that could be done was to affix the tiki torches to various posts around the yard. Once they were secure, we needed to fill them with citronella oil, Eddie and I worked together to fill them using, not a funnel, (there was not one on sight) but a cone made of tinfoil. Our method of filling did cause some minor spillage which may be partly to blame for what followed.

I am a bargain shopper but let me warn you, tiki torches purchased for a dollar are for decorative use only, when they were filled and lit (thankfully in a Friday test run, not Saturday night) they became engulfed in flames and whatever synthetic material was used to hold the "torch" in the "tiki" melted. The flaming posts were extinguished using a damp towel and with the aid of a helpful Brother-in-law (yes John you win in-law-of-the-year award... again), new and fire-worthy torches were in place for the party.

Guests began to arrive shortly after 3 and thankfully they were the close and helpful kind of friends who kept my children entertained and enjoyed full use of the bounce house. The next few hours are a fun blur of people arriving, and snacking, the weather was perfect, sunny but mild, slightly breezy, but not so bad as to blow off tablecloths or decorations. The guests were all charming and came in festive dress as requested.

The food was picked up, arrived, and or was cooked in a relatively timely manner and by all manner of relatives. We fed the children at the time appointed and the adults were either gracious in waiting or sneaky in eating, either way, everyone was fed to full.

Th entertainment was excellently started by my fabulous nephews doing a dance routine, but lest you start picturing in your mind "the Good ship Lollipop" or some other stagey Shirley Temple song, let me assure you they delivered a performance of "Electric Avenue", and "Funky Town" that would be welcomed on "So you think you can dance"

The lovely dancers from "Lei Kakala O' Fontana" began their show and during their costume changes the family filled in. The Grand-daughters (and some of us in the earlier generation as well) performed a dance to one of my Father-in-law's favorite songs, "Little Brown Gal"
Indeed He enjoyed it so much he got up and joined us half way through.
Eddie sang and played the Ukulele very charmingly, the is one of the first things I loved about him, there is something sexy about a ukulele.
Big Brother Alan DJayed and hosted, and sister Tammy sang "Where the Boys Are" one of her father's favorite romantic ballads, one he used to make her sing as a child.
Two of the birthday boy's oldest friends were called upon to tell how they met him and speak of their friendship over the years and the evening culminated with the birthday boy surrounded by hula dancers in his own dance lesson.
Happy Birthday was sung, taro cake and a variety other desserts were eaten, a good time was had by all, and Nina held out until after the cake before she finally fell asleep in her stroller.

So to recap, we have learned:
1- Test flammable objects the day before an event,
2- A bounce house brings sanity for all
3- Always bring a stroller if you have a child under the age of 2
4 - You can't go wrong with
adorable grandchildren!