super late weekend recap

last weekend was pretty jammed with all sorts of fun stuff.  we kicked it off with the bean's annual fund gala dinner at school.  i don't remember how we managed to wiggle out of going to it last year, but this year we kind of got cornered because she's in the choir, and they were part of the entertainment for the evening.

the school is celebrating their 55th birthday this year, so the theme for the evening was 60s.  everyone was encouraged to wear 60s attire if they wanted to, but while i'm usually down for a good excuse to dress in costume i'm still a little scarred from the first year i attended this thing.  i went all in with a costume, and ended up being the only one who dressed up.  this time though, there were lots of folks dressed in themed clothing, and i kinda regretted not making the effort.  oh well.

as usual, the planning committee had gone all out with the decor.  i thought they did a really nice job of it without going over the top.

 even the appetizer that doubled as a centerpiece on the tables was OG...cheeseball, anyone?

i knew that the committee had worked really hard on blowing up hundreds of balloons for the balloon drop during one of the alumni performances, so i really felt for them when the thing seemed to malfunction.

the performers were very much "the show must go on," and they held their places like true professionals while several folks did their best to get that balloon drop to work.  the whole place erupted in cheers and applause when it finally did.

the bean's performance was, of course, the final act.  way to make sure that people stay throughout the entire program.  they sang "a million dreams" from "the greatest showman," and i was pretty proud of myself for not crying like i usually do at these things.  heh.

i managed to get the hub to stop for a second to take this:

and then he took one of me with a couple of my best mom friends.

the girls were happy to get that first official performance of the year over and done with.

the next morning, we headed out to the mall to pick up some stuff for the hub and grab some delicious brunch at din tai fung.

and the bean happily parted with some of her birthday money to add yet another ducky to her stuffy collection.  sheesh.

later that afternoon, we set up some fun games in the back yard and got the house ready for a few of the bean's friends to come over for dinner, swimming and a movie.  we had some fun breaking in the new mega-size games before they arrived.

we decided to serve up a make-your-own-burger bar, which the girls happily ate with tater tots as they enjoyed yet another screening of "the greatest showman."

and then they made their way into the jacuzzi to relax, chat and hang out.

it was a lovely evening, and we're all looking forward to being able to have friends come over more often even as the weather finally starts to cool down.  i love our new back yard so much.