My niece Mandy turned 37 on October 14. About a month ago, her husband Paul decided to give her a surprise birthday party at their house in New Franklin, OH (near Barberton, which is near Akron)! One of the "announcers" for the party plan was my sister Maggie because Paul chose not to use e-mail or Evite for party management! (Last summer's pig roast invitations were partly handled by Mandy's use of Evite.). I called Maggie to RSVP for this party on October 10. Today was the big day!
While the party was being set up, Paul took Mandy out of the house on various excursions. One of these excursions was lunch at Chili's on Ohio 18 in the Fairlawn area. As a result, they did not do much eating at this party! Thankfully, we left them plenty of food!
Some of the participants were my brothers Bob, Joe, and Tim (Mandy's Father), my sisters Maggie(Part of the Set Up crew) and Kathleen, Tim's companion Lois, my brother-in-law Mike (who took me and Bob to and from this party), my niece Marnie and her daughters Kendal and Hayden (Mike Schmidt was back in Highland, MI because his brother Tim and his wife Megan came to visit.), Paul's mom Nancy and her grandson Eric (Two major parts of the party set-up), and a few of their friends. It was a relatively quiet affair because Kendal and Hayden were the only kids at this event.
The food consisted of Lasagna, Ravioli, Manicotti (?), French Fries, Cole Slaw, a Vegetable Tray, a Tossed Salad, Sourdough Bread, and some Fruit Salad type dishes. The main feature was Barberton Chicken from White House Chicken, since it is a law that it is served at Paul's family functions. I did not eat the Chicken, the Fruit products or the Vegetables from the tray, but the rest of the food was tasty.
Dessert consisted of a sheet cake that was Chocolate and Yellow Cakes, Apple Pie, Cassata Cake, Red Velvet Cake, and Boston Cream Pie! I did not have the apple pie nor the Cassata Cake, but the rest of the desserts were quite enjoyable.
The entertainment was socializing, watching the Ohio State Football Game, and watching Kendal and Hayden go in the outdoor hot tub on the patio. The temperature was in the low 50s with periods of rain, but it did not dampen the mood.
It was a nice party. After Mike took us home, we relaxed for the rest of the evening. Bob and I are savoring the leftovers that came home with us. Eating them will help us to remember the party of the year.
