Every seasons brings new memories, new friends, new lessons, and new value to life. This Summer has brought me many realizations about myself and the true importance of taking time to celebrate relationships. For quite some time I have seen this movement of my life and this blog going simpler and simpler and on some level it seems quieter and quieter, but more and more beautiful in my eyes. This party was the culmination of so many things this Summer. When I planned it with Mcclure’s back in the Spring I never dreamed what all would have changed as a blogger, creative, and person by the time we sat down for that meal. You can never plan how your perceptions will change in life. I never guessed I would see the value in this simple evening of friends, food, and great drink. It felt like the most magical celebration of everything that is of true value to me. I cannot think of anything better than a meal shared with the dearest people under a starry sky.
Partnering with Mcclure’s fit perfect. They are an amazing company with a recipe that has been passed down for generations. They make one hell of a bloody mary mix and the best part, Joe (co-owner) came and mixed them up special just for us. It was the best way to begin our evening and everyone was in love with the spice and refreshing cocktails. They have tons of amazing combinations. Head on over to their website to get some for yourself or buy it locally from your favorite store. If you cannot find it locally you can always order it from Terrain as well.
The evening was centered around creating a community meal from what was fresh and local as much as possible. Sam Porter of Porterhouse Productions was awesome and made a killer paella. We picked many of the veggies from the garden for the paella such as the green beans, peppers, and fresh tomatoes. Literal garden to table, which is always so yummy!
We brought in pails of wine for later in the evening to have with the dinner. We focused on drinking whites to compliment the spicy and seafood based paella. It was the best balance.
It was so good to have so many of our talented friends who push us everyday at the party. Many were missing but it was so awesome to have so many of them there. Bryan and Mae above were kind of adorable so I had to share their picture. They also grabbed a picture of me with my favorite photographer who was working so hard all evening to grab all these images and video below all at the same time.
This night made me think deeply about the kind of story that we are all writing and telling of life. I thought about what of this evening we would share and what made it so magical. Was it the food? Was it the drink? Was it what we wore? Yes to all on some level but to me it was honestly the people there laughing, telling stories of Summer, feeling the cool breeze come in as the sun set, and the stars that began to appear so brightly in the sky. Those things make moments like this one so much better and more magical than I think we plan as we put together details of an event.
Did I mention how awesome the food was? Yeah I want to eat it all all over again?
We had the tables made by a friend who is opening his store very soon. He was amazing at put these together the day before. I cannot wait to share more of his work with you all as we are beginning partner together on many things in the near future. Him and his soon to be wife are incrediably talented and very close friends so collaborating is only natural, but those tables made the evening so fun and exactly how I envisioned it. It was so great to sit as a group together around a table, on blankets, and without shoes. It brought the most relaxed and homey feeling to the party.
The evening ended with a toast to friendship and more evenings like this as a community. We listened to remixes of Bon Iver and danced silly till midnight. It is crazy how when you live in the moment things seem less stressful, less planned, and more about just honestly having a great time. It was what I needed in every way. My friends are so good on keeping my mind wrapped around not getting too busy and recentering my perceptions on life. This was probably one of the greatest reminders of what I hope to inspire you all to be doing every day.
The candlelight, the blankets, the flowers in milk jugs, the old barn wood table. It all was right. It all was how it should be. Nothing overly planned. Nothing overly done. It was simple, inexpensive, and most importantly based on making the best and happiest memories even in our busy schedules.
Once again, thank you to all that made this possible, Mcclure’s, Milled Handmade Goods, and Porterhouse Productions. Also a big thanks to the hubs for making the evening come to life for you all here. Couldn’t have made this possible without all involved.
Should we share a bloody mary mix recipe sometime?
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