oktoberfest, JLP-style

the junior league madness continues!

last night, i attended a fun social that was put together for the new provisional class - all 50 of us. it had an oktoberfest theme - sort of - and it was done BYOB-style. "bring your favorite beer, cider, or other beverage," the evite said.

now, you know i'm not a big drinker. and when i do drink, it sure as hell ain't beer. not that i'm too good for it or anything like that - i just can't stand the smell or taste of the stuff. so i hopped onto one of my favorite boards on the nest and asked for help. as always, the "nesties" came to my rescue, and i pulled up with this:

the party was hosted by one of the leaguers, and when i saw the address and pulled up a quick map, i knew we were in for a fabulous shindig. the house was in quite a sch-wank-ay area of pasadena, and so i was even more excited.

following my trusty google maps app, i turned onto a super dark street, slightly wary of the idea of having to walk by myself in the pitch black evening. but as i mentioned, there was quite a long guest list, and i managed to parallel-park the pri-YES in an available spot between two BMWs. i spotted several JLPers ahead of me, and i scurried up to join them for the walk to the house.

it was quite a jovial group, including some folks i'd hung out with two nights before at the DIAD, and we joked and laughed as we walked a freaking country mile to our destination. but it was worth the walk - just look at this gorgeous house (of course, my pictures are blurry as i haven't quite mastered the art of taking good photos in the dark sans flash)!

stopping at the registration desk to sign in and collect my name tag, i eyed this basket of goodies quite appreciatively as i hadn't eaten a thing since lunchtime.

this cute little playroom just off of the kitchen was designated for handbags and jackets.

i made my way into the back yard and joined the growing crowd of chattering, sipping JLP newbies.

one of the provisional committee members took center stage on the lawn, inviting us to stand together in a big circle for an ice breaker. we played a quick, fun game of "have you ever..." and skipped into the middle of the circle as she read off of a list of things that included stuff like "do you speak 3 or more languages?" and "have you ever ridden a camel?" and "have you ever been in charge of cooking for 20+ people?" there were squeals and "ooh"s and "aah"s as we all looked around and learned fun trivia about our fellow leaguers.

smiley, the provisional committee chair, gathered us together after the game was over, sending the "actives" -all members who have successfully completed their provisional year - in to the house to eat and mingle. she gave a quick impromptu welcome speech and then gathered the rest of the committee to call out names and hand out the provisional notebooks.

here's mine! whee - i felt all official and stuff. and we got cute pens to go with our notebooks, too. i scooped up what i thought was a pink one, but upon closer inspection realized it was red. but that's cool - red is the official JLP color, so it's all good. and check out this schedule of events! holy shit, the hub's gonna skin me alive. and that's not even a full list.

after the last notebook had been handed out, we were dismissed to go inside and join the actives to eat and socialize. in that order. well, at least, that's how i took it.

i took a little bit of everything, although i'd already started mowing through my plate before i remembered to take this. oopsie.

every provisional member is assigned a "buddy" - an active member who is available to answer questions, talk about the league, be a mentor of sorts. smiley introduced me to my buddy, JLPswami - a new mom of twins! i was in awe. and before she took off to meet her other buddies, i got smiley to snap a quick shot of us. and oy - i cannot believe how freaking shiny i am in this picture. good gracious. shield your eyes, i might sear a retina.

as i stood at the dessert table, trying to figure out how i could possibly get away with eating one of each, i was joined by a couple of provisionals i'd met earlier in the evening. it was fun getting to know more of these ladies, and we ended up enjoying our sweets together.

i decided to exercise a bit of restraint and settled on a lemon meringue cupcake - which i'd been drooling over from the moment i walked in. and, because it's not a full day until i've had some chocolate, i popped a brownie bite into my mouth, too.

before the party broke up, smiley gathered us all in the back for a group picture. it was quite a challenge trying to squeeze us all in, but we managed.

i managed to get home just before the bean went to bed for the night, and i snuggled with her on the couch as she fell asleep. the hub and i did a little dvr-catchup, and then we called it a night.

the big reunion weekend is upon us, and it starts tonight. oh, boy. i'm so excited - and rather relieved to finally get through it. the teen is going to come and help in the kitchen, keeping the chafing trays full and serving tray-passed appetizers. it's gonna be so much fun!

well, for me, at least. heh.