Party Planning

It was a party.  Daniel and Tanika decided just a couple of weeks before Christmas that they wanted to get married on the 23rd.  On the 15th a location was booked and the race was on! DiAnna, Ed and I are a force to be reckoned with once we are all headed in the same direction.  The menu was planned, food purchased, and decorations gathered.  It was a beautiful event and the food was yummy. Here's a few helpful hints that we learned.  I am putting them here so that I will always be able to find them!  They are useful for any large gathering. 

1.  Have a meeting up front with everyone so that you are all on the same page.

2.  Find the inspiration piece.  DiAnna and I found one stem of absolutely gorgeous silk flowers at Michael's that gave us the look.  There was only one stem, so we had to use it carefully and build everything else around it.

3.  Use what you have.  DiAnna's mom collects old-looking clocks.  I had lots of glass containers and candle holders.  DiAnna's mom also has a treasure trove of ribbon, silk flowers, and other odd craft items.  We had some old picture frames and baskets.  I had pieces from an old Christmas tree.  All these things combined with some photos of the couple, a few quotes about love and time, a can of champagne spray paint and a few cans of spray snow added up to some beautiful decorations. 

4.  Figure out how much food you need for your particular army and then reduce by about 1/3.  Ed and I always worry about running out of food because we didn't get any food at our wedding, but we had way too many leftovers at this event.  (And most events we do!!!)

5.  Borrow what you can.  We borrowed some beautiful serving platters from a friend.

6.  Buy what you will use again.  We bought some chafing dishes for a great price.  It made the table look professional, we didn't have to worry about the meat cooling off, and we get to use them at the next party.  Now we need to plan a party!

7.  Be careful about using real candles.  All containers must have bottoms to catch the melted wax.  Them, leave everything in the car on a cold winter's night and the wax will pop right off the glass in the morning.  I used a scrubby sponge to get the wax residue off and all is well.

8.  Glitter is beautiful, but hard to clean up.  Our ribbon had glitter on it.  But mostly off it.  Maybe I wouldn't do that again.  But I do love glitter. . .

9.  Get kitchen helpers.  DiAnna's neighbors came and made sure that platters and punch bowls were full.  It was nice to sit and enjoy the event without worrying about what was happening in the kitchen.  Colby was a big help. . .in my apron.

10.  If you are doing the cooking, keep it simple.  Do a meat that has built in portion control- like a chicken breast or pork medallion.  Buy the rolls.  Don't worry about fancy toppings and such because they worry people.  Simple, clean food.  Easy. (And 1/3 less of it! Remember that!)

11. Why not cupcakes for a wedding?  It was awesome!  Everyone had their choice of flavors, they were easy for the bride and groom to handle, and it was an impressive display. 

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Rice!

Lessons from Garrett's Life

I just returned home from a funeral. . . for a 2 year old.  I am not sure that I have ever attended a child's funeral before- it was very difficult. But at the same time, my heart is lifted up in praise for a Heavenly Father who really does love us and has a plan in place for us to come back to him. 

I didn't know Garrett.  My only knowledge of him was seeing him at band events.  The last time I saw him was the Saturday before he died.  His mom had him and Hunter in a double stroller and had Connor straped on in a baby carrier.  The boys were excited to be at the parade.  I wish I had given him a big bag of candy out of my golf cart! (That makes more sense after reading the obituary.)  Garrett's dad, Brek Mangelson, used to be the band director at Lehi High School and is now the band director at a neighboring school.  He is the person responsible for putting a baritone horn in Colby's hand and getting him excited about marching band.  He changed Colby's life and ours, too.

So, this is what I learned today.  Or at least remembered.

• Enjoy every little detail about every day.  Tomorrow will be different.
• Take lots of pictures and videos.  Even of the stuff that "doesn't matter."  It all matters.
• Listen when prompted.  Garrett's parents had impressions that he might not be with them for long.  They discussed and prepared- whether they realized it or not.  They both absolutely shone today with the comfort of the Holy Spirit. 
• Faith isn't a sure thing.  We just need to have faith that Heavenly Father is in charge.  If we have that, everything else falls into place eventually.
• The sun comes out again. . . just like it did for the itsy, bitsy spider.  We have to weather the rain and dark, but it will come out again.
• Giggle, laugh, and have fun.  Everyone likes to, but it seems easier for children.
• Always carry tissues.  They are great for chocolately mouths, sticky fingers, and tears.
• Boys do like girls like their mothers.  Brittany sat near me and cried through the whole funeral, too.

At the funeral both Brek and Brooke spoke about their beautiful little boy.  They were both composed and happy about the blessing they had to be Garrett's parents.  I was stunned by their strength and that of their families.  Here is the beautiful obituary that Brek wrote.

Garrett Kenton Mangelson was born January 17th, 2009 in American Fork, UT. He died Wednesday June 29, 2011 in a fluke accident in the afternoon at his Lehi home. The son of Lehi residents Brek and Brooke Mangelson, Garrett was named after his grandpa (Pa) G. Kent Mangelson. He had a passion for life and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

On a regular basis he could be seen with one thumb in his mouth and the other hand toting behind him his little blue blanket much like a scene from a Charlie Brown cartoon or movie. He loved his blanket! He couldn’t go anywhere without it and couldn’t sleep without it.

Being the second of three boys in the family, much of his time was spent playing alongside his two other brothers, Hunter and Connor. He loved his brothers with all his heart and loved his Mommy too. He had his daddy’s nose, had blue eyes and long eye lashes that most girls commented on and were envious of. His smile and laugh was infectious. He loved to get tickled and asked often for you to tickle and play with him. His passions in life were anything involving pirates, swords, cookies, gummy bears, trains, busses and chocolate milk.

His mother works at Costco and he knew the sign well and whenever he saw it he would yell out “Costco” and wanted to go there.

Garrett also loved the outdoors. He father owns several four wheelers and a ranger. He loved to go on ranger rides! He would always sit next to his daddy, often with his blanket right beside him. Even if it was just to move it a couple of feet or only to move it in the garage he would always want to go on rides. He would break down into tears if he thought you were going to leave without him. Without fail we would ask for the key at the conclusion of a ride.

Garrett loved his daddy’s marching band and parades. He loved candy and during his last days in life he was seen toting around his candy bag from the Lehi parade. His infant Westlake band hat and his blue t-shirt which indicated “Future [Westlake Thunder] Band” member is a cherished item that he loved and insisted on wearing at each band event.

His favorite songs were “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and the “ABC” song. He sang these often and had the sweetest voice. He loved camping, fires and was very excited to see and do fireworks on the 4th of July. He loved his grandma and Papa and his Nana and Pa and was so excited to see them soon. Most evenings during his last days of life he could be seen sitting next to his daddy cuddling while watching a TV show or movie in the basement. This is a cherished memory that his father will always remember.

We will all miss our little “Gare Bear”

Band On The Run

As part of the massive fundraising effort that has been kicked off at Lehi High School to allow the band to get to Washington, DC for the 2012 National Independence Day Parade, today we had a race.  I have been imagining this event in my free time (from approximately 2:17am-2:54am) for almost three months.  I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to stage the event and how it would all flow.  But reality hit this week. 

Reality in event planning is when when you have to try to get people to do a specific job in a specific way so that the outcome looks like what is your head- only no one else has the whole picture, so it may or may not come together.  Reality is understanding that you cannot do it all. . . you must have help.  And reality is also standing back and letting it happen.

I am happy to say that reality was wonderful today.  Not exactly what I had in mind, but great in its own way. There were so many happy moments: like Home Depot actually being open at 6am, my first helper arriving at 7am, chairs on rolling carts so that I could put them where I wanted before I had to explain anything, a warm creamcheese and strawberry donut, more helpers than I had jobs, more runners than I was expecting, students who were on time, perfect weather, and parents who truly are willing to do anything I ask them to do.  I am actually feeling overwhelmed by how so many puzzle pieces where on the right place on the table today.

The most exciting moment for me was seeing a huge crowd of people leave the starting line and head down 1st North in the 5K.  It was one of those moments when you realize that all your thoughts actually came to life!  Not only had I never planned a race before, I have never BEEN to a race before, so I wasn't ready for the excitement of the starting line!  I am not sure how many people raced or how much money we actually cleared, but I know that everyone had fun (with the exception of the gentleman who got talked into walking the 10K. . .not happy), and that was half the battle.  

Next week we will get back to the administrative tasks, but for today, it was fun to be a party planner.