Party Time

After watching all the work that went into hosting Robb’s, Andy’s, and even my own past grad parties, I was absolutely certain of one thing: we were not hosting Bryce and Caleb’s graduation party at our house.

Our garage is a farm garage, no matter how hard we scrub, it’s just not the kind of place where people should be eating. Our house would’ve worked, but with limited parking and the stress of making everything spotless, I knew I’d be overwhelmed. So, last year, while graduation parties were in full swing, I took the plunge and booked the wedding barn across the street. Best. Decision. Ever. With the location locked in, all we had to worry about was decorations and food which was much more manageable.

By January, coworkers with older kids started asking if I’d begun preparing. I thought they were crazy! What was I supposed to do in January? The boys only cared about food, and I certainly wasn’t cooking anything that far in advance!

Fast forward to April, and we finally got started. The girls and I worked on centerpieces and started collecting pictures for the photo boards. Crafting is definitely not Bryce and Caleb’s thing, so I was especially grateful for the girls' creative help.

I ordered 125 invitations in March and sent them out in April to our friends, family, and the families of the boys' friends. Then, mid-April, Bryce asked, “Where are my invites to pass out?” Apparently, both boys thought they needed another 50 each for their classmates. Thank you expedited shipping!

With invitations out and decorations underway, it was time to tackle the food. Caleb was set on having Chipotle-style rice bowls. I thought pulled pork sandwiches would’ve been easier, but hey we asked for input, and they gave it. So rice bowls it was.

How much food do you make for a party like this? With over 200 invites going out, I figured we should cook for about 125 people. Maybe overkill, but my anxiety said: don’t run out of food! Despite all the advice that people don’t eat full meals at every party, I stuck to my 125 number.

Here’s what we ended up buying:

40 lbs of chicken thighs

30 lbs of pork shoulder

3 gallons of salsa

12 bags of chips

12 cheesecakes

8 buckets of ice cream

7 gallons of root beer

Surprise: we had leftovers! But there are worse problems to have. I brought cheesecake, salsa, chips, and root beer floats to work. Friends and family took salsa home, Abby brought tacos to her last-day-of-school party, and we froze a bunch of it.

The party itself was a ton of work, and as someone who doesn’t love small talk, I was honestly just hoping to get through it. But it ended up being so worth it. It was incredible to see how many people came out to support Bryce and Caleb.

We couldn’t have done it without:

Bob and Susie, who were basically on-call helpers all weekend

Steph and Ginger, who kept all the food prepped and stocked

Abby and Brook, our unofficial photographers

Emmy, who entertained the little kids like a champ

And of course, Bryce and Caleb, who did an amazing job chatting with guests and making the rounds

In the end, I couldn’t have been happier with how it all turned out. It was a celebration of two amazing young men and a community of people who love and support them. My heart (and my freezer) are full.

Caleb's one request besides rice bowls were personalized poker chip ball makers. They turned out pretty cool!

Dan the boys' bus driver since 4th grade

Mr. Hobza one of Caleb's favorite teachers and one of the basketball coaches.