A History of Our Party

Our annual party began four years ago. Megan and I had been in Dover for about five months, married less than a month. We were just beginning to make friends in the area. Although, we received many well-wishes from these local friends, none of them had gone to our wedding (we didn't know them that long, after all.) So four years ago, Megan and I conceived of this party as a way to celebrate with our new life (married, with a new house, in Dover) with our new friends. We invited every person we worked with. Despite having no clue what the turnout would be, the party turned into a success. Over 100 people came that first year, although all 100 were not there at the same time. We vowed to make this an annual event.

Throughout the years, Megan has used the party as motivation to get her holiday decorations up. We're pleased to hear that it's become a yearly tradition among our co-workers with many who already planned on coming before we even announce the date. The shindig generated significant loyalty. A core of ER nurses come every year even if they just got out of work at 7PM and have to return to work at 7AM. There has been some evolution too. The party is much more kid friendly now. Fortunately for us, Paige sleeps at 9PM even though the noise continues onward. Neighbors play a more significant role now. Some neighbor friends even like to embarrass me in front of my work friends.

By the way, among the guests, the food has acquired a favorable reputation, with many party-goers satisfying their annual fix for Vietnamese spring rolls. This was the work of my parents who come yearly to help us prepare food. Thank them.

Unfortunately, I rarely get pictures of the event. That may have to do with my chemical state at the time. I did get a picture of the frittata I made the following morning, which Derek told me looked like a cookbook picture.

Speaking of Derek, he won the furthest away award, coming from two hours away. He simultaneously won the shortest notice award. I informed him of the event at 5PM and he arrived at 7PM just as the festivities began.