MLK! Sheep Retreat! Now they're over!

My apologies for not posting all week long! I was busy, and then I was lazy.

Last weekend's party was a huge success. I think the best part for me was sharing it with Kate and Jaime, who came down for the weekend.

It kind of took me by surprise. I got home on Friday, pretty tired from a busy day with Sibley, and was immediately confronted by a house buzzing with guests, conversation, anticipatory energy. NOT the quiet, mild-mannered Delafield I'm used to. Erin and Abby assured me that it's always a little bit of a rude awakening, and advised me to think of it like Christmas. Framing it that way helped a ton, and I launched into MLK 2007. Lots of hanging out in the kitchen, munching on Costco muffins. Lots of sitting around dining room tables, chopping vegetables. Conversational neighborhood walks. A trip to Payless to buy heels for Scott's fashion show outfit.

The main event on Saturday was dinner at Rosemont, followed by Nina's human bingo game. We had to find people to perform for us (20 pushups, or an impression of a gorilla), perform with us (sing a song, do a headstand) or impress us with their talents (has piloted a plane, knows Happy Birthday in 3 languages). A terrific mixer.

I woke up Sunday thinking, Today's the day!
Seth made us all pancakes for breakfast, and we started transforming the house into a venue worthy of a notorious dance party. Speakers and lights went up. Furniture was rearranged or removed altogether. The kitchen was going full-steam-ahead, Erin at the helm. Dinner started at 6, and we served close to 100 people. A bunch of Electric Sheep arrived, which was exciting - there were several I hadn't met in person yet, and I hadn't seen the others since October.

The fashion show started at 8. Sibley was an outrageous M.C., and Sasha was the invaluable backstage manager. We paraded down the stairs, posed on the landing for the fans and paparazzi below, and continued along the catwalk through the living room into the dining room. A great show for participants and audience alike! (I got to wear my favorite pants ever - the pink, furry, tiger-striped pants my friends gave me for my birthday in college.) Scott was gorgeous in his French maid costume.

We danced from 9 to 4, taking a break at midnight when the dancefloor was just too crowded to move (or breathe) comfortably. We had fantastic weather, around 65 degrees, so the backyard was packed all night long. We kicked the 3 kegs by midnight. Close to 400 people came through our house over the course of the night. The only damage was a muddy floor and a shattered thermostat - both easily rectified.

Kate and Jaime took off on Monday morning. We cleaned up a LOT and gossiped about great moments from the past 2 days. My MLK effectively ended at 2 when I left Delafield for Gold Star (Sibley's house) and the start of the Sheep retreat. It ended a little too soon, I think, but I'm not sure I could have sustained energy for much more!

The Sheep retreat went well. It's always so exciting to meet people that you've only ever e-mailed, and I feel so inspired and motivated by seeing and hearing what everyone else is working on. I didn't get home until 10pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, which felt very late... even though others stayed much later. Partly, I was impatient to get home and spend fleeting time with Scott. He left for Guatemala on Wednesday. Too soon!

The Sheep left on Thursday, and suddenly my life is quiet and routine-oriented again. Hallelujah. I cleaned my room and did all kinds of laundry and called up my parents. I would have stayed in my pajamas all day yesterday if I hadn't made a date with a Duluth friend who was in town. We went to a very cool book arts exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and then had dinner at La Tasca.

Today I'm cuddled up with my computer. I picked at the HTML and made some surface changes to my blog template. (I wanted something more exciting than the grey-blue, but I'm not sure how I feel about the orange yet.) Not sure what's next on the agenda for this afternoon, but tonight I get to go see Richard III with Bucci! A good excuse to change out of my sweats. Until then, I'm happy to stay inside and enjoy the snow flurries outside.