First Friday...a tradition.

About five years ago we wanted to host a New Years Eve party just for grown ups. The problem was that there were too many kids who needed a babysitter and most babysitters had plans on New Years Eve so we decided to have our party on the first Friday after New Years Eve.

We wanted it to be a dress up party. So the first year we sent out invitations saying the dress code was "sports coats and turtlenecks" for the guys...

And "anything that shimmered, sparkled or shined" for the ladies.

It was so much fun we decided to do it the next year. We made it very clear that there were rules to be followed...#1 you MUST dress up. #2 You MUST participate in the festivities. And #3 you MUST bring an appetizer to share.

So the next years theme was "The Eighties"...

The Party Animals:

These were some of the highlights...

This was the first year we busted out the karaoke. We also played a really fun eighties game. It was more popular with some than others...

In 2007 we came up with "Famous Couples" as our theme:

Guess who we were?

We tried really hard to not be exclusive so we invited ALOT of people...and EVERYONE we invited was able to come!

So have you figured out who Aric and I were?.....

And people say Mormons don't know how to have fun....

This is how we party...with lots and lots of soda!

So in case you didn't do the math...that was 26 people partying at my house! Unfortunately it was at this party that I realized that my house was not meant to have that many people partying at one time. It is also hard to do our singing games that we love so much. It was a sad truth, but I knew that in order for First Friday to be what it was meant to be we had to down size in 2008.

First Friday 2008 had the best theme ever! Here's a clue....

"The Office"

We played some Office Trivia:

And of course we played Sing Star:

Adam beat me and so I am calling for a rematch!

It was so much better having a smaller group. It just confirmed that in order for First Friday to be all it is supposed to be, it is impossible to invite everyone I would like. If you have ever hosted a party you know what I am talking about. It's a sad,sad truth but it is what it is...

So where are this years pictures? Funny you should ask...

Between having a newborn, kidney stones and an unexpected road trip to Utah, we just couldn't find the time to do it in January. So this Friday we will be celebrating First Friday 2009. We are so excited! I'm not giving anything away...you will have to wait to see the post.