I hosted my first Bunco Party in my 20's and loved it!

Hello lovely humans! 

So this week's post will be about something honestly I never thought I would be getting myself into....and that is, the experience of joining my Mom's Bunco league. Now for anyone not familiar with what Bunco is, I'll explain briefly because it's really quite simple. It's a dice game where you roll three dice, and rotate between 3 different tables, and it's really very simple and doesn't involve much intense concentration. Now I'm sure you're thinking, "Wow Kelly, that was a quite underwhelming example. Why am I reading this?" However, the reason for this is because Bunco isn't just a game, but actually a bit more of a social event. My mom has been on the league with these women since I was a child, and I always remember whenever she would host Bunco at our house, it was almost like having a mini party. It really is a cute and fun activity, and since I reached around age 16 or 17, I started occasionally playing the game as a substitute in place of any of the women who couldn't make it. I always enjoyed myself despite the fact that most of the women on the league were my mom's age or older, and finally after subbing another time last month, I decided to join officially. So this past Tuesday was my first time ever hosting my own Bunco! I want to share some things that the experience has taught me, but also just make this "Bunco themed" post because I had a great time and want to savor and share the memories! So here are the highlights of my first Bunco party.

I got creative. I LOVE planning parties, so I had to decide on a theme. 

I especially love themed parties. Since my first Bunco would be for the month of July, I decided to go with a patriotic "4th of July" theme. Now I know it is nowhere near July 4th, but I wanted to do something summer-y (is that a word? Maybe?) but also festive and appropriate for a party so hence the theme was born! So I decided to plan all of the food and drinks under this theme, as well as plates and utensils. If it is your month to host Bunco at your house, it is up to the hostess to provide food and drinks, and usually some kind of a dessert (more on all of those later). But of course, as some of you may know I'm in general a pretty festive person, I like to go all out sometimes, so naturally I wore this rather loud and some may argue obnoxious but I think it's adorable and super comfy, star dress from none other than Target (come on they seriously have the cutest stuff sometimes!)

And yes....I also did matching blue eye make up. I'm a nerd, I know, I know. But this make-up is so fun. It's from the Unicorn Glow line put out by Wet n Wild (the eye shadow is "Unicorn Wishes" and the highlighter is "Unicorn Glow", which I purchased as a birthday gift for myself because, unicorns, obviously. )Anyway, I will continue with the Bunco experience, but if any of you are interested I'll post the link here for the make up kit. The eye shadows are super sparkly, almost like actual diamonds on your face it's insane, and I've been obsessed with the highlighters. Anyway, moving on, stop gushing over cute and pretty things as always Kelly, proceed.

Unicorn Glow Line

I learned a lot about being responsible for satisfying guests. 

So naturally, I had to come up with food and drinks to serve. The hostess usually provides anything from small appetizers to actual cooked meals, and sometimes even just casual chips and snack foods. I wanted to stay within my patriotic theme, but also cook some original things as well since cooking is something I love and feel passionate about. My original hummus recipes are my favorite things to make, so clearly a hummus was on the menu, and also my stuffed mushrooms are usually a pretty big hit at parties. So naturally those two appetizers were my immediate ideas. However, as someone who is big into vegetables and occasional fish (I'm a Pescetarian but basically I might as well be Vegetarian), I do realize that not everyone is down with all the veggies. So this challenged me to think outside of the box, because my job as a hostess was to make sure the women had a nice time and a variety of options to choose from. So going along with my July theme, I thought of doing pigs in a blanket, because 4th of July, grilling, yeah. You know what I'm getting at. Also, as one last appetizer, I figured I would ask my Dad if he wouldn't mind helping out and making his famous "Texas Salsa". This stuff, which my sister and I have been eating every summer for years....is basically addicting. It's also bright and summery (that is now a word, I've decided) and fresh, so it fit into the theme perfectly! It was the biggest hit out of the appetizers. I wasn't surprised. If anything, I learned that even though I have specific tastes, not everyone's is the same as mine, and that's okay! The goal was to make others happy, and I pulled that off. Hey, they did like my mushrooms too though!

Pina Coladas are pretty popular...

Now drink wise, my Mom actually, and I give her full credit for this, came up with the cutest idea ever. Since I mentioned the July 4th theme, she came up with the drink idea of making Pina Coladas, but garnished with freshly cut strawberries and blueberries, which in my opinion is extremely summer themed. (And color wise...fits the theme as well. I wonder why...hm....yeah it's obvious moving on.) But they were a HUGE hit, and ended up making the party a lot more fun for the ladies. I myself don't really enjoy hard liquor anymore to be honest, it's not my thing. But I enjoyed serving it for sure. For anyone who is curious, the recipe is super easy:

Kelly's "4th of July" Pina Colada (That name sucked. Wow, not good at drink names.) 

one shot of Malibu Rum

one shot of White Rum (We used Captain Morgan.) 

5 oz of Pina Colada mix 

16 oz of ice

Blend it up, and then pour, and garnish with thinly sliced strawberries and just some blueberries you can sprinkle on top. It was a super fun and cute drink to make, and I will not lie and say I wasn't even mildly entertained by how much fun everyone was having.... if you know what I mean. (It was more than mildly.) Thanks, Mom.

I stayed true to "me" but also kept my mind on everyone else. 

Now when I said above in this article that I love planning parties...I do! But, I haven't really planned entire parties, (besides my graduation party, which I planned decor and food wise voluntarily everyone, trust me it was my choice), until this one. The pressure did feel also slightly on, because these women have been hosting these parties and playing this game for over 25 years. I'm serious, that's what they said. Twenty. Five. Years. Now I had a small feeling that they would go slightly easy on me since I am my mother's daughter and also since they knew that it would be my first Bunco. But one of the biggest events of Bunco, is the prizes at the end of the night. Yes, that is correct lovely humans, there are PRIZES. (Don't you all want to play Bunco with your mom and her friends now? Probably not, ANYWAY), it was up to me to choose first prize, second, prize, travelers, most wins, etc. I won't go into detail about what each of the prizes mean because that isn't the point of this post honestly, it's more about the experience and not the rules behind Bunco. But regardless, I was given a list, a certain budget, (That is the Bunco leagues' budget, so it's basically leant to the hostess and then  returned), and a number of gifts to find for the prices on the list. Now these prices aren't insane. First prize is anywhere from $15-$20, so I'm sure you are catching on that these prizes are in the "cute, little fun things" category. That category happens to be right up my alley. I have never typed this sentence before, but there is a first time for everything I guess..... I went HAM at the Hallmark store. Yeah. I literally found everything I needed there. It worked out perfectly. In choosing the gifts though, I stayed true aesthetically to what I found appealing and also useful and cute, but I also kept in mind the women's possible reactions as well. So the gifts ended up being very "Kelly" but also very "Anyone else!" Which is the point. I think it's very important to stay true to who you are and not change for anyone. However, if you are doing something for the benefit of others though, you have to expand your mind and imagination a little bit, and that was something new that I learned. 

Also, yeah look at this final presentation of the gifts. I mean come on now. I was proud of myself guys. (Also, okay we aren't all super heroes here and can't see through the bags so I'll just tell you guys right now what was in them because...I mean I don't know if I was reading this and I just read that entire paragraph about the importance of picking out gifts for Bunco, I would want to know too.) 

The best prize was a beautifully hand-painted wine glass, then were two really cute summer themed bowls with cute pictures on them of orange peels and peaches, then a really nice ocean scented flicker candle with a seashell decoration hanging off of it, these cute pineapple wine glass toppers in rainbow colors and a Starbucks gift-card.

Anyway, 

It was super fun watching everyone open up their gifts all of the ladies loved them and my Mom actually ended up winning the Starbucks gift card which each day I am tempted to steal. Just kidding. 

Usually at the end of Bunco, the women tally up who won what prize in each category, and then they all eat dessert and drink coffee and chat. I'm more of a "cook" than a "baker" so my mom actually ended up making this Pineapple Upside Down Cake that she used to make for every Bunco in the past. That was kind of nostalgic for me honestly, because it's definitely been awhile and it brought back memories. 

I did this to bond more with my Mom, and also surprisingly everyone else! 

To recap this whole experience, the biggest thing I learned from hosting my first Bunco party, was that I shouldn't have felt even slightly hesitant for getting involved at all. My mom has been playing in this League for years, since I was a little kid, and now that I'm an adult and I can enjoy the same kind of experience and also I've grown to love cooking and party planning and just in general giving people things to make them happy, I shouldn't have felt weird about joining and being the youngest one. I was surrounded by friends and loved ones, because I brought in some "substitute" players of my own, and over all it was an awesome night and everyone had a great time. But most of all, I know my Mom is so happy that I joined. This is something that I can enjoy with her, and it's an activity we can enjoy once a month together as mother an daughter. Yeah, it's kind of corny, and yeah, as of right now I am the only person on the league in her 20's, but do I care? Not really! Not anymore. Because it was a fun, silly, heart-warming and over all cool experience. That's right guys, I said it, "cool". Bunco is cool. 

Stay Lovely, 

Kelly 

:) 

Nature Adventure!

Hello lovely humans!

 It has officially begun! I am so excited to start making this blog something special, especially with this first post being about something so near and dear to my soul: nature. Today I went on a spontaneous adventure to Merrill Creek with my sister. I haven't been there in so long, it felt amazing to go back. Being somewhere beautiful where you can explore with someone you love is like no other feeling in the world. It's so healthy for the soul to get to experience memories like this, and it's human "nature" (heh, heh. Get it? Wow, I'm terrible) to be attracted to nature. It just makes us all happier, and I'm sure many of you have felt the same way in the past. So here are some key things that I noticed and learned on my little adventure with my sister. 

I was re-rooted and reminded of my strong connection to Nature. 

This sunlit path is the perfect example honestly of how nature has always affected me emotionally and spiritually, ever since I was a young child. Whenever I would feel discouraged or lost or alone, something about looking up at the moon on a clear night, or feeling the sun soak into my skin, or feeling the sensation of the wind blowing through my hair, would re-charge me and re-inspire me to continue believing, being optimistic and thriving. I consider myself lucky, the fact that I am able to feel this way about nature. It feels like a gift that I can hold onto and cherish whenever I need it. 

Being mindful ended up being helpful! 

I really wanted my goal to be to stay in the moment as often and consistently as possible during this experience. Many times, it's so easy to get lost in our own heads due to the stress of life, and trust me, that happens to me often. But I wanted to simply focus on and appreciate my surroundings, and being with my sister. Erin and I had lots of fun exploring and wandering around. We saw some pretty cool areas, and interesting landmarks. Choosing to be mindful and curious, sort of as a young child would, is something that is hard for many adults. But when you look at life really with a sense of wonder and appreciation for what is right in front of you, you really do notice things that we tend to miss as we grow up. I was very successful at staying mindful during this adventure!  I thought this tree looked pretty dope and snapped this picture. Funnily enough, it actually ended up saving us a little bit at the end of the day! Erin and I actually did end up getting a little lost, (more on that later!), and once we saw this tree, we were sure that we were walking back in the right direction. If I wasn't mindful and appreciative of the moment, I wouldn't have even noticed it! 

I was reminded of how grateful I am to have my sister. 

 

Another reason why nature is so important, is that it always can give you amazing memories with the people you love. My sister is my best friend, and I am always grateful to have her in my life. But getting a little lost together, visiting a familiar place that we have always enjoyed going to and exploring NEW parts of that place, made me remember how much fun it is to just be with her. And it always makes you feel better just to remember the love that you have in your life, whether it be family, friends, pets or even just passions. I definitely should have worn sneakers, but insisted to wear my signature flip flops like the sometimes stubborn person I am, and Erin made fun of me when I regretted it (We always make fun of each other it's kind of our relationship. But trust me, she was right. Wearing flip flops to Merrill Creek is definitely not a good idea. Lots of bug bites were involved.) Even though we did get lots, and ended up on a super long trail by accident, it was the inside jokes and exploring that made it fun and worth it. 

I felt like little "Alice in Wonderland Kelly" again and it was wonderful 

What is "Little Alice in Wonderland Kelly", I am sure you are wondering. When I was a child, I just always felt connected to her and like I WAS her at times (Curious and curiouser....).I used to explore in my backyard all the time as a kid, and my imagination was always extremely vivid. I still connect to that part of my life and the youthful part of my soul, (which is why I like to draw cartoons and create characters), and more so than anywhere else I feel that my imagination can explore the most successfully in nature. I don't believe that you are ever too old to see the magic in the world around you. I felt myself swept away by the beauty of it all many times, and over all I was just having fun exploring. Erin and I even stumbled upon this baby bunny, which let us walk so closely up to it. Some real "Alice in Wonderland" happenings were happening, for sure. And yes, I did make a wish on that dandelion flower like a 5 year old, it's just how I do, my loves. (I'm definitely the coolest. That was sarcasm.) 

The experience helped me remember that things aren't that bad. 

The most important thing that I learned from this experience, was that nature is healing. It can change the entire way you think about things, just by spending some time in it. On this particular day, I was feeling down and discouraged about things. I almost didn't want to even go to Merrill Creek because I was stressed and tired, but I went anyway and I'm so glad that I did. Just feeling so small compared to the huge world around me, and hearing the calm and quiet that comes with being in nature (well aside, from the birds and the bug noises, but those were equally as calming), helped me realize that life isn't so bad. It may be stressful, it may be hard to find out exactly what you want to be, what path you want to take in life, and where to go next, but one thing that we will all always have is this Earth. We are all lucky enough to live on such a beautiful planet. This planet is magical if you take the time to acknowledge that! I had a moment where I just sat by the water and talked with my sister, as we reflected on our lives and where they've lead so far, and it was exactly what I needed. It's a memory that will always stay with me, especially when I re-visit the same spot that we sat, which I definitely plan on doing. All you need sometimes is a little quiet, a little adventure, a little bit of nature and the company of someone you love. 

Stay lovely, lovely humans :) 

Kelly