In typical Adrienne fashion, it would not have been a good start to a new year without a kick-off party. Originally, we planned to hang out with one or two couples……somehow, I had convinced myself that this is what I wanted. But, within the last 24 hours, we decided to invite more people……we took a risk because all the people we invited do not typically hang out with each other ALL the time…..but the risk paid off and we had one crazy bash!
Caleb and I decided to get a little adventurous with the food….we thought it appropriate for a night of “firsts”. We made Japanese Sushi (for the first time ever) and it was SO GOOD! I look forward to trying to make much more of it in the future (if we can actually find the right ingredients here in PNG). I have to admit that I was not counting on it turning out right on the first try…..I figured it would at least be edible, but not very pretty! I was wrong: yummy and pretty! (Now that I write this….I guess I should say that it was Caleb who “made” the sushi…..but, I did find the recipe and instructed him every now and then.)
We also made spring rolls using rice paper. That paper is tricky……but after a while, I got the hang of it. We cooked 3 kilos of buffalo chicken wings……complete with Bleu Cheese Dressing from the States. Also, you can’t buy quality salsa here….and there aren’t any good tortilla chips….we had to make our own but the salsa and chips were ten times better than what we were used to at home….just more labor intensive. (Seriously, think rolling out all your own tortillas, cooking them, cutting them and then frying them).
Our friends brought food, too. We had a layered taco dip, a chocolate peanut butter dessert (most of you know that this is MY favorite kind), ginger type cookies and those Christmas classic cookies with the chocolate kiss on top, and warm chocolate brownies, so much more. We even had a cheesecake to eat at midnight.
The night started out with the food, of course. Then, we hooked up the Wii to a projector and the ladies played Just Dance while the guys played a board game. This lasted a good hour. Then, the guys wanted to play Guitar Hero, but in order to get the Wii, we made them dance a few songs. Classic! Then, the rock party started. We live in a 4 unit apartment building. The apartment directly above us and the one next to us are vacant. We are pretty sure that our one neighbor who was here last night hates us and the noise we made. Just imagine 12 adults singing “Living on a Prayer” at the top of our lungs. At one point, I walked outside to see what we sounded like……yeah, off-tune singing/screaming could probably be heard by multiple families trying to enjoy a nice quiet sort of night. I feel bad admitting this, but I am not sorry at all. It’s New Year’s Eve, people!
Around 11:45, Caleb joined a group of guys and rode his motorcycle all around the center. This is an annual tradition here that no one can seem to remember when or how it began.
At 5 minutes to midnight, I gathered enough pots and pans for everyone at our party. At 4 minutes to midnight, I showed a YouTube video of different New Year’s (2010) celebrations around the world. I have to say, compared to Sydney, Hong Kong and London, our silly ball drop in Times Square seems so small! I guess it helps that it is hot on this side of the world (but not in London). It seems that if you take our New Year’s celebration in New York and our 4th of July celebrations…..you would have something a little closer to what the rest of the world does on New Year’s. From now on, there will be fireworks at New Year’s at all future parties I throw!
At midnight, we all ran out front banging our pots and pans and screaming “Happy New Year”. I know I am strange with my silly New Year’s Eve traditions, but everyone humored me and pretended or actually enjoyed this part. I couldn’t tell!
We thought the party would die down after midnight, but that wasn’t the case. We enjoyed a slice of oreo cheesecake and continued with our rock concert until 2:30am. We really should go on tour…..we were very entertaining!
I made the mistake of checking my e-mail before going to bed and learned that Caleb had a 9:15am Frisbee Golf tee time on Saturday. So, we got about 6 hours of sleep….which is actually a lot compared to other New Year’s.
Speaking of comparing, there really isn’t any comparison to New Year’s parties in years past. I feel blessed every New Year with the people that God has placed in my life. Now, I find myself overwhelmed with His love and generosity…..not only do I have amazing friends, but I have an God-sent husband and adorable little boy. Looking back at the past, I see it filled with so many friends who feel like family. The line between friend and family is blurring…. We missed all of our family and friends back home…..but, I can truly say we enjoyed being here with the people God has placed in our life for this season of our life.
We pray that God has blessed you, too, with an amazing circle of friends who feel like family to you…..Hope you enjoy the pictures that I post next!
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