party hats

Did you leave a basket of flowers on someone’s front step, ring the doorbell, and sprint away? Don’t worry, neither did I. Partly because I live in an old industrial loft building where doorbells cease to exist, and the thought of giving my bonkers of a neighbor flowers didn’t sound that appealing. Wait. Is that rude? Doh. 

As a kid, May Day was one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. I remember trying to contain my excitement while putting May Day baskets together with my Mom. The thought of leaving someone a present, ringing the doorbell, and running away to secretly hide behind a tree to witness the surprise look on his or her face made me grin from ear to ear. Ahhhh……those were the days. 

I really think we should surprise people more often with flowers or homemade gifts besides just on May Day. What do you say? Are you with me? 

Moving on…

As I mentioned yesterday, we are attending the Denver Derby Party this coming Saturday. I didn’t know this until Listy said something to me last week, but all the proceeds go to the Sean Lough Foundation. Sean Lough attended Colorado State University (CSU) and unexpectedly died in a mountain biking accident. To keep Sean’s memory alive, his friends started the Denver Derby Party back in 2001 to raise money for his foundation. The foundation then gives one lucky recipient a full ride scholarship with room and board to Colorado State University. Pretty cool, huh? 

In preparation of this weekend, Listy, Katie, Tina, Megan, and I decided to get together this evening to gather supplies to make our Derby hats. I mean you can’t have a blah fascinator at a Derby Party, that’s a major fashion faux pas! Oh, before I forget here is a quick picture of what I plan on wearing:

We met up at Jo-Ann Fabrics in search of big bows, fake flowers, and ribbon. 

I haven’t been inside a Jo-Ann’s since college (by the way, it still looks the same inside!). Being a member of sorority you get used to spending an obscene amount of time in craft stores making everything from pillowcases to paddles to bulletin boards. It was bananas. Thankfully this trip was easy peasy because Tina (a.k.a. Martha Stewart) was there to guide us on what we needed to purchase.

I had trouble at first picturing what I wanted my hat to look like, but after Tina pulled out a couple of pink flowers and sparkly ribbon, I was good to go.

Once were done shopping, we decided to grab dinner and a drink. Since Jo-Ann Fabrics is primarily located in suburbanville, we ended up eating at Chili’s. Hey, put away the stink eye, at least it wasn’t Applebee’s! We used to eat at Chili’s all the time in college and thought it was “upscale.” My how things have changed. 

We started with their famous bottomless chips and salsa. Now, the key to enjoying this salty starter, you must accompany it with a side of ranch. I completely forgot about mixing the ranch and salsa together until Listy said something. All I can say is, don’t knock it until you try it.

I sipped on a Fat Tire and ordered the chicken quesadilla for my entree.

Since Listy’s birthday was yesterday, Megan brought some of her cake pops she had made to celebrate. It was the perfect treat to end a splendid evening.

Now I’m off to get reacquainted with my hot glue gun. Wish me luck.