I recently read the book "So Old, So Young" which follows friends over the course of 20 years but we only get to see them during five parties. After I finished reading it, I listened to a Bad on Paper podcast about it where they asked the question, "If you were to have your life told in 5 parties, what parties would they be?" It got me to thinking and these were the five parties I came up with and apparently I was too busy enjoying the parties to take pictures.
1. My Wedding
July 8th, 2023 was my wedding and it was a blast! I spent the morning with all of my best friends getting our hair and makeup done followed by a fun brunch which honestly would've been enough to make it a memorable day, but it got even better by marrying my favorite person. We had friends and family from all over the country -- as far west as Washington state and as far south as Florida. I've always been a big fan of weddings, but when it's your own, it's even more special. We had couples there who had been married nearly 50 years which was pretty inspiring and incredible. All of my favorite people and then some in the same place celebrating love is pretty special.
2. My 17th Birthday
My 17th birthday was probably one of my more memorable birthdays from my childhood. I had just closed "High School Musical" where I was Gabriella -- my first lead role. My birthday is super close to Thanksgiving so we waited to celebrate until several of my friends were back from their freshman year of college. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant and then headed back to my house -- after renting my first rated R movie -- to carry on the celebration. We had dessert, watched a movie and just spent time together which was just what we needed after some of us had been separated for several months. I felt so loved and special and love to look back on those times fondly.
3. Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve -- Nochebuena in my house -- is always a favorite party. I don't think I can pick a specific year but any of them would work. Nochebuena is the anniversary of when my dad's family came to the United States from Cuba -- I mean can you imagine a better Christmas present? Anyway, back to the party, we all go to Christmas Eve service at church and then after that, all of our chosen family comes over for a traditional Cuban Christmas Eve. It's one of my favorite nights of the year because no matter how spread out we all are or how long it's been since we've seen one another, everyone makes it a priority to be there. Over the years we've added spouses, kids and lost loved ones. It's loud, there's laughing, there's food, there's crying, there's remembering, it's perfect.
4. Nashville Girls Trip 2018
Have you ever hopped on a plane to fly 800 miles to meet a group of 50 internet friends for the first time in person? It sounds terrifying....and it was! I'm so glad I did it, though, because it was a pretty magical weekend and I'm still so proud of myself to this day. You see, back in 2016 I signed up for an online makeup course and walked away with so much more than just some tips and tricks. This group is one of a kind and we actually just had a 10 year reunion trip this summer. Getting to meet the incredible women that I'd spent two years forming bonds with online was something I'll never forget. We talked, we laughed, we danced, we sang, we swam, we cried, we bonded. These relationships are extremely dear to me and have only strengthened since then. One of them was even a bridesmaid in my wedding and now are moms are friends as well!
5. Kill the Lawn Parties
Growing up, it was never summer until my family hosted our "Kill the Lawn" parties. It was technically a graduation party that my dad hosted for the residents, but quickly grew to include dozens of other friends. At times, we had bands play but after we moved closer to town, we had inflatable obstacle courses and bounce houses. This quickly earned my dad the nickname "Carnival Ed" to the younger kids. I'm so lucky to have grown up in such a generous household that was extremely welcoming to everyone and loved hosting others.
If you were to pick 5 parties to describe your life, what would they be?
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