wrapping up JLP year #1

with the ILs off on vacay, that means days off for me, too. yay! and day one began with the bean helping me to make her some scrambled eggs for breakfast.

the wrap-up party for my junior league provisional class was that evening. having been assigned to bring an appetizer (grub was divvied up by committee), i scrambled a little to figure out what to make. i begged amber for the recipe for her yummy bruschetta that she'd brought to book club, because i don't do a lot of apps, and she graciously sent me a link.

later, i realized that the iPad was going to be a fabulous kitchen tool. previously, i'd either printed out online recipes or scribbled down the ingredients and measurements on a piece of scratch paper. now, i don't have to do either one:

fantastic! i got started on my tomatoes, halving, seeding, and dicing.

it took me about an hour to get through all the chopping and mixing, but the kitchen smelled heavenly when i was done.

by then, i'd also thrown together dinner for my family and gotten ready to head out. i'd decided to bust out the new dress i made for myself last week, and although it's not perfect, it's pretty cute (or at least, i think so). i didn't have time to take a picture of myself, but you'll see it in the group pic later.

i'd run out of time to toast the bread, which was kind of a bummer, but whatever. i managed to make it out to pasadena in record time and found a parking space in the lot across the alley from where the party was to be. lucky for me, i ran into smiley, our current provisional chair, and chief, who'd headed our marketing committee for KITK, as i skipped down the stairs. after a quick greeting, they told me to head on over and look for the red balloons. we were meeting in someone's office above colorado boulevard, and it was good to have some kind of a landmark to look for.

i headed up the stairs and found myself on a nice, airy patio - perfect for a small gathering like ours.

inside was a nice, spacious office space.

as i greeted various JLP members, i realized that there might be a solution to my dilemma in that office, and sure enough:

after i was all done toasting my bread, i found a crowd gathering around the espresso martini bar:

and helped myself to one.

there was plenty o'grub, including a pretty fruit arrangement (which i, as usual, admired from afar).

today happens to be our dear smiley's birthday, and we all sang to her as she blushed in embarrassment. and then she was presented with a gift card to nearby gold class cinemas, which she seemed pretty stoked about.

later, as curly arrived with a nice birthday cake complete with candles, we embarrassed her again:

hoping for some feedback to use for next year's provisional committee, there were comment forms to complete. having had a blast and nothing but praise for my experience as a first-year JLP member, i happily completed one and dropped it in.

i managed to gather everyone 'round for a group pic, balanced my camera on top of that box, and set the self-timer.

yay for junior league! yay for a great year! and yay for the fun to come next year, as i serve on the fundraising committee. it's gonna be a blast!