14 and 16. Birthdays that mark major changes for my girls. Ella driving and starting to figure out college and career, Delia in high school. We couldn't let them pass without some major celebrating! Each girl picked out her dream party and this July we made them happen.
Ella wanted a day at the beach with her friend group of 17. Getting 17 busy, working, travelling high schoolers to all be free on the same summer day proved challenging, but this group of 10 that could make it had a blast! The day was everything Ella hoped it would be...
Swimming in the surf
Boogie boarding and skim boarding
Spike ball
Building sand castles alongside gorgeous crashing waves
Walks to the lighthouse
The sights, sounds, smells, and feels of the beach
Jumping waves
A solid 12 hours of quality time with some of her favorite people
And Pizza My Heart to cap it all off!
Delia's party went in a slightly different direction. ;) After the fun of Murder at the Pizzeria with Kris, Kyle and the boys, Delia wanted another Murder/Mystery party with her drama loving friends. The 8 friends who could come went ALL OUT. For weeks texts flew around about characters being played, costumes being worn, and make up being done. The night of the party had us cracking up-- at everyone's amazing costumes, first of all, but then at how everyone totally brought it for the game. There were accents and ad libs and embellished backstories and even an off script (fake) fight between two characters! In the end, it was discovered that Vanity Valentine the actress (aka Delia) was the one who shot John Doe in his train compartment.
This was a fun party to put together! Our sweet school director let us raid the costume and prop closet to help get ready. Since it was set on a train in the 1930's, we went with a dinner of hor d'oeuvres and sparkling juice, with classy gold and black decorations and lots of old suitcases.
These funny girls were so into playing their parts that even when the murder was solved, they STILL wanted to stay in character and show off their costumes, so they decided to take the act to public with a walk around the neighborhood! I can only imagine the conversations they generated..."I was driving home and I think I saw a nun and girls in formal dresses and furs walking around the park?"
If you know Delia, you know she gets passionate about particular things and loves them hard! She is always up for a theme party (See: Shamu, pandas, donuts, etc.). She had a blast doing two of her favorite things, dressing up and acting, with her best friends! Now that my high schoolers have been well celebrated this summer, bring on the next fun year of teenage life!!
