so yeah. about that nerd party.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post these pictures from Gary's party.  I mean aside from having a two month-old, three kids in diapers, kids needing help with homework every evening, kids needing to be picked up from school every afternoon, add in grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, doctor's appointments, sick kids, and the fact that we were out of town every weekend in November, it's not like I have super much going on in my life, really.

HOOOOO BOY!

if only that was the case, right?  that I had nothing better to do all day besides edit pictures and type up blog posts while I sipped gourmet coffees and ate bon bons by the handful.  imagine how grand life would be!

(I don't even know what the heck a bon bon is but it sounds like something you might indulge in of you didn't have a pile of kids.)

anyway.  for now, I'm just going to deal with this busy-ness by cutting myself a little slack in the blogging department, even though it kills me to do so.  truth is, this blog is a huge outlet for me, and it's driving me crazy that I don't have time for it.  oh well.  I'm sure life will mellow out eventually.  or maybe I'll just become accustomed (numb, maybe?) to this new level of craziness.  in the meantime, eat some bon bons for me, will you?

okay, so.  on to the nerd pictures.

first off, I chose to go with a nerd-themed party because in my books, anyone who is an electrical engineer is just plain nerdy.  right, dear?

funny story: when we were first married, Gary would occasionally try to "talk shop" with me.  he had just landed his first engineering job after graduating from college, and naturally he was excited about it.  I tried to be polite and listen as he chattered on about the various projects he was working on, but it was sooo boooring.  I had the hardest time trying to keep myself from falling asleep.  but, this was my husband.  and so I figured I should at least pay attention.

once, as he was rambling on about the pros and cons of PC versus PLC for automation control, he busted me staring off into space, completely lost in my own little world. "did you even hear anything I just said?"  whoops.  I had obviously missed my cue to nod my head.  "um, well, uh, er... actually no, I didn't."  feeling a bit guilty, I finally had to fess up and say, "look.  I have absolutely no clue what you're even talking about.  it all goes whoosh, right over my head.  besides, it bores me to death.  how about we go browse through the clearance racks at Old Navy instead?"

since then, he's never once brought up the subject of work.

The Decorating

I have to give credit to Kim for being the mastermind behind the decorating.  she came up with the idea to use Keith's old engineering plans as table coverings, as well as the stacks of textbooks and old globes for the centerpieces.  brilliant.  

we couldn't have ordered up a more beautiful day for the party.  I'm talking 75 and sunny.  perfect for outdoor entertaining.

indoors, we strung up CDs above the table with fishing line.  I love how they sparkled and glimmered as the light bounced off of them, the perfect finishing touch.  I also dug out an old computer keyboard from storage, which we used to prop up a birthday sentiment.

fabulous.

The Food

my mother-in-law and I got together one day to brainstorm menu ideas.  we thought it'd be great if the food corresponded with computer-related terms, and a quick search on google revealed all kinds of ideas.  however, we did come up with a few on our own.

grandma's little helper, Eloise.

the eating utensils represented the "hardware."  the plates and napkins, the "software."

beverages included a "secret" punch formula (love the test tubes!), "java," and of course, "smart" water.

"chips" and dip was a given.  along with apple pie squares (get it? ha ha.)  also, we had sandwich "bytes" and a yummy "bow tie" salad.  

don't forget to eat your "vines," (tomatoes) "roots," (carrots) and "discs!" (cucumber slices)

to satisfy our sweet tooth, there were emoticon "cookies," Dum Dums, Smarties, and the obvious, Nerds.

I made the fun cupcake toppers, courtesy of Kim's never-ending supply of scrapbook materials.

also, a few party goers.

Gary's brother Tim dragged this picture down from MN.

apparently, this picture is an old relic that used to hang in Gary's room when he was a kid.  in fact, he built the "rustic" wood frame for it when he was around 13 years-old. and then one day while he and his brother were laying around bored, they suddenly decided it would make an excellent dartboard with all those animals and people to aim at.  BAM, just like that.  a good picture, ruined.  lol.  you can't actually see it in this photo, but the entire picture is peppered with tiny holes.

well, it's late, and I think I've rambled on long enough.  but stay tuned.  pictures from our NERD photo booth up next...

-jessica