It Was a Three Dog Night, but the Band Did Not Show Up.

Yesterday evening at a party starting at 7:00 P.M., we celebrated my sister Maggie's 60th Birthday at our niece Mandy and her husband's house in New Franklin, OH (near Akron).  Besides the birthday girl and the hosts, the participants were Maggie's husband Mike, my sister Kathleen, my brother Tim, Joe, and Bob, Tim's companion, Lois, my niece and Mandy's sister Marnie, her husband Mike, and their daughters Kendal and Hayden, my nephew Dan, his wife Laura, and their daughters Amy and Emily, my cousin Shellie, and her husband Tony! 

This was only the second joint appearance of all my great-nieces!  The last one was at Mandy and Paul's wedding barbecue in August 2009 (They eloped on December 18, 2008.).  Photos were taken of all the four great-nieces, but other people were added to the picture.  I should have been directing this operation, but I do not have a camera.  The great-nieces really bonded with one another.

We ate from a meat and cheese tray featuring ham and salami.  Lasagna, pulled chicken in barbecue sauce, a Fondue system, raw vegetables for dipping that included broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and mushrooms were offered as well.  Garlic Breadsticks and Honey Buns (for the pulled chicken) were available for bread lovers.  Last but not least, Mandy's Cheesy Potatoes were the highlight of the meal for me.  Mandy, Marnie and their spouses did a great job with the cooking and the hosting.

Before dessert, Maggie opened up her presents.  Among the many presents, a homemade money tree (from Joe), a Kindle Fire HDX (from Mandy, Marnie, and their spouses, among others), a necklace (from her husband Mike), and a Ruby Tuesday Gift Card (from Bob and Me) were the standouts.

For dessert, we had a homemade carrot cake, a chocolate cake, homemade cookies, and ice cream were provided.  I had both cakes and some of the cookies.  They were pleasing to the palate.

We relaxed until we left.  Bob's GPS on his phone was a great help as Kathleen chauffeured us to the party.  After retrieving the leftovers, Kathleen went home. 

In closing, the post's title refers to two concepts. The first reference is that there were three dogs in residence at the party.  In addition to Lily and the unseen Doberman Pincher who normally live there, Mike and Marnie's dog Cheeto was also present.

The second reference is to the musical group Three Dog Night.  Maggie had many of their albums on LP.  She also owns one of their greatest hits albums on CD.  I have one on CD as well.  Spotify and Windows Media Player also house their music in one form or another.  Thankfully, Three Dog Night were not missed that much.

It was a Super Fun Night!  (Rebel Wilson and company were not invited.)