New Year's Eve

While other reflective and thoughtful posts are circulating around the blog-o-sphere about New Year's resolutions and goals, I thought I'd take a moment to help ya'll lighten up with a recap of our New Year's Eve celebration.

{it looks nice right?  a moment captured in time}

Mr. Cook finally made it home on Dec. 23rd.  Just in time for Christmas.  It was a very emotional two weeks of ups and downs, not knowing if he'd be home in time, attempting to plan a trip to Georgia if he wouldn't make it, finally being reunited and now re-acclimating to each other, to our new shared space, to life.  Needless to say some celebrating was desperately needed.

Enter failed surprise here, i.e. I planned a Welcome Home/Housewarming/New Year's Eve Surprise Party... and Mr. Cook knew about it, the. entire. time.  Awesome.  Even better?  He played along.  Did I mention what a terrible liar I am?  Sneaking off for text messages, phone calls, facebooking at all hours.  No worries, botched surprise aside, it was quite possibly our best New Year's Eve celebration yet.

Step 1:  Invest in Just Dance for the Wii.  There is quite possibly no better ice-breaker.  Strangers turned into old friends, old friends laughing at the audacity of friends they thought they knew so well, party in a box.

Step 2: Impromptu photo booth.  What began as a welcome home sign, turned into the photo op of the evening.

Step 3: Mediocre finger food and good drinks.

Step 4: A camera to ensure that embarrassing moments will forever be preserved.  

*please note* the invites did not ask guests to wear plaid, sheer coincidence

How did you ring in 2011?