I had a loosely based theme of Ravens for the party this year. I bought a raven mask, and my daughter bought 3 of the same mask, unbeknownst to me, so it worked out great that all of my spawn had the same mask as I did. Tom was Odin the Wanderer.

I invested in a beer pong table and we moved some furniture around to set it up. It was a HIT! So much fun was had. Nobody ever dances at parties any more since th first few parties I had with Lee, so this was a nice way to get people mingling and having some fun.

Part of my strategy for a good party this year was not to worry about all the details that I used to. It worked. I had lots of help this year also, between Tom, all 3 kids, Taylor's BF, and my good friend Elizabeth that came down from NC. Putting the bar with all the alcohol and the beer fridge in the formal living room was a really good idea as it freed up the kitchen from people congregating in there for drinks and made my job of getting the food done a lot easier. It was the best party yet, and even though I STILL didn't get to sit down and chill with people outside for long, I still had a good time and I think everyone else did too.