Cookouts, Friendship and Fun

This post is, admittedly, a tough one for me to write, because I have dozens of heart-stopping adorable photos of the event, and I can't use the best of them because I've made a promise to my friends that they can be blognonymous. So just trust me on the cuteness factor. It was over the top.

But rather than skipping it, I'm blogging about it because there are a few important things I wanted to share about the night!

Some friends of ours were sweet enough to house-sit for us while we were on our cruise, and we wanted to thank them for keeping everything and everyone {ahem, Braeya} safe and sound while we were gone.

Of course we purchased gifts for them during our travels, but we also wanted to have dinner with them as another way to express our thanks. So this past week, they came over for dinner one night, and I noticed a few things while they were here that I wanted to share.

It doesn't have to be fancy to be meaningful.

 My mother has the gift of hospitality, and I've got some friends who are Pinterest poster children when it comes to welcoming people into their home. Hosting can seem so intimidating. There's the fine art of getting all the food to be ready on time...or the decor...or...or...or...it never ends.

But the truth is, most people don't care about fancy. They just care about feeling at home and being loved. And I'm not sure there's an easier time of year to host friends than the fall. Decorations are taken care of, thankyouverymuch, God - and food isn't much harder. Build a fire and roast some hot dogs! That's what we did that night.

It doesn't have to be huge to be successful.

 Have a small house? Tiny yard? Think that means no one will want to come over? Think again! We don't have a huge home, and since it's over 100 years old, it's also not laid out in a very open floor plan conducive to entertaining in the way that seems most popular today. But you know what? It's okay! We don't need to have a dozen people over to have fun and exchange blessings with our friends.

That night, there were just the four of us, nestled around a tiny wrought iron patio table, eating off plastic dishes on clearance aisle placemats, with our feet bumping into each other under the table. But it was such a beautiful night of sharing, joy, and friendship. Friendship for four.

If you MUST be Pinteresty, know that it's okay to keep it to one project.

 Even though I was keeping it simple...I couldn't NOT do one little project. So this was my one creative nod to the night. Due to space constraints, we had no centerpiece on the table...and all the food was still its plastic wrapping when I delivered it to the patio. But this one little offering of fruit allowed me to fulfill my need to be creative without going overboard.

It's Okay to Let Guests Help.

 This was one of the to-die-for pics that I can't fully show you.

I was raised in a house where the hostess had ALL the work done before the guests arrived, so they could just walk in and sit down to eat. But I'm learning that it's okay to not have it all together when they arrive, and in some cases, it's okay to let them help.

So it was for us that night - we had a munchkin eager to learn how to roast hot dogs and Ryan was a great host and did all the teaching. And it turns out, that was the munchkin's favorite part of the whole night - being included in the cooking privileges.

Throw Yourself Into the Night.

 Of course the meaning of that sentence will vary depending on your audience. It might mean putting aside your hosting duties to sit and listen...or give advice...or cry and hug.

For us, that night, it meant walking away from refilling drinks and jumping headlong {literally} into games of catch.

What a great night we had! I didn't experiment with any new recipes to share...I don't have any jaw-dropping tablescapes to show...but I did have a memory-making night with my friends. I watched them get to enjoy friendship with Ryan in a brand new way. I got to watch him embrace people dear to me. We laughed...we played...we ate...we had home around a wrought iron table. It was tiny, it was impulsive, it was laid-back.

It was imperfectly perfect.