Last Friday, these two buses pulled up in front of our house and disgorged 80 or so hungry swimmers and coaches. They were supposed to arrive at 5 pm, but plans changed and instead they came at 4:15. Fortunately, the caterer arrived early, too, so all we had to do was remove the covers from the food and stand back. We had a few nervous moments. According to the caterer's menu, we'd ordered enough food for 120, but the trays started to run low alarmingly fast. The seniors went first, and I'm not sure any of the chicken parmigiana was left for the juniors let alone the sophomores or freshman. But there was other food--lasagna and two other pasta dishes--so everyone got something (and we gave the freshmen first crack at the desserts). We even had a little pasta and salad left over.
The locusts--I mean swimmers--crammed into all the available space: chairs, sofas, stairs, floor--but they did all fit into the house. (Another big sigh of relief.) They seemed to have fun, were very polite, and left about 6 pm. Then husband and I cleaned up and collapsed around 8:30.
Saturday we drove up to Baltimore to watch the swim meet and hand off some of the leftover waters and Gatorades for the swimmers to have on deck. Third son and his fiancee showed up to watch for a while, and we gave them the leftover brownies and cookies. After the meet, swimmer boy went off to the next hosting house--this one in New Jersey--and we went off to check into our hotel before meeting third son, fiancee, and second son (who'd just gotten back to Baltimore from New Orleans after a week of pro bono work) for dinner.
Now we're back home. I admire people who can entertain with grace and poise. I don't know if it's a skill I didn't master in my youth or a talent that doesn't mesh well with my basically introverted personality, but...Let's just say hubby and I are very glad we did it, but also very glad it's over. Now I have to get back to my "real" world and get to work on the next book.
But first I think I'll just sit here and stare out the window for a while.
I'm so glad it all worked out! I'm surprised you had anything left over!
ReplyDeleteWell, we had a little of the main dish that was left over--turns out it was pretty spicy, so that might have deterred a few folks.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine hosting 80. In our new condo we are angsting over hosting 6 (plus the two of us makes 8). The dining room table will hold that many, but where to put them when they are not eating.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have exactly 8 plates. For some reason, that makes me nervous.
Not that this is all about me. I started this comment to congratulate you on your achievement and you courage for tackling the challenge and defeating it soundly. :-)
LOL, Terry. I was standing in a corner of the kitchen like a scared rabbit most of the time, trying to save the soda cans and water bottles from going in the trash can. (We recycle.) I did try to wend my way through the house to take pictures once--it was quite the challenge. There were people everywhere.
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