Sabrina Dent: Freelance web designer, developer and internet marketer living in Cork, Ireland with one dog and a husband in no particular order.
Ah Sure, It'll Be Grand
While it’s good to have a goal, I’ll be the first to admit that sending out invitations for a house warming party a month away when your walls have been ripped back to studs and bricks and the concrete on your floors has just been poured is either tremendously ambitious or just tremendously stupid.
And while the invitations did say “come hell or high water” I don’t think I really understood the hell that getting to last night would entail. I’m neither a delicate flower nor a tremendous crybaby, but this last week has been seriously, seriously hard going. We moved in on Monday to a house full of builders, paint cans, generators, concrete dust, plasterboard, trowels and mountains of boxes and furniture piled into the middle of various rooms. Every day John told me to cancel this party, but every day I’d just invite more people. I invited everyone, from internet strangers to the lovely man who delivered our dishwasher.
The kitchen (and thus running water) was installed on Friday, and I was so happy to have basic services and so overjoyed with the way the kitchen turned out that I actually cried. According to the kitchen installers, this is not a typical reaction to having a new kitchen put in to one’s home. But then, this was not a typical house purchase, renovation or move in, either. It all moved really quickly, although exactly how quickly wasn’t really clear to me until this past week.
By Saturday, I was wandering around the world with that dazed look you see on mothers after really fast labours, the ones who are standing there in the produce aisle looking more than a bit shell shocked, holding a baby they’re not quite clear on how they got.
Mercifully, Deb Hadley arrived at 2 PM to take over the party planning, and she was impressive and masterful in her sheer capability. She turned out scores of multi-layered dips, vegetables, hot crab cakes and empanadas, beautiful crostini and gorgeous brownies in the two hours it took me to stand there and barely make a salad in between hiding boxes and sorting out liquor deliveries. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend or a more talented cook to turn up and bail me out at a juncture where I honestly had ceased to be able to function.
The food was tremendous, the wine was glorious, the beer was plentiful, and John and I were tremendously chuffed by all the people who turned up. It really made our new house a home to have it warmed by so many visitors. And while I know I’m exhausted and a bit weepy, it truly did feel like a significant accomplishment to welcome 20 or 30 wonderful friends into our first purchased home on our fourth anniversary after three years in Ireland.
So thank you, to everyone who helped, everyone who came, everyone who brought the bottles of booze we’ll be drinking well into the new year, and everyone who raised a glass to toast our new house.
It really was grand.
21 Sep 2008
| In: Domesticities |
I still don’t know how ye managed it. Thanks for a fab night and enjoy every minute of your new house, it looks fantastic.
21.09.2008, 12:51 pmDistracted by our first birthday party, we hope that we can arrange a drop-by at your home sometime after the dust is well and truly settled.
21.09.2008, 1:21 pmFabbilus (as they say in Sta -, oops, Limerick) evening. It was good to meet not just you, but John, and so many other Cork Twitteroos for the first time. Not to forget the Galway man and the heroine from Biffoville.
One disappointment: a serious bossiness deficit (compared to advance billing) in la Dent !
21.09.2008, 1:22 pmGrand it really was.
21.09.2008, 1:41 pmWonderful night, great friends and a homewarming
What more could we ask for :-)
And the party then rocked. Your house is beautiful. You should do this whole house renovation thing as a side business. :)
21.09.2008, 2:53 pmReally disappointed that I could have made it and by the sounds of your blogs & comments I feel even worse. Happy home Eoin
21.09.2008, 5:37 pmThanks Sabrina, it was great fun. I had visions of you getting up to find I’d cleaned up too, but alas the thought of getting home to my three beasts consumed me! Thanks again for the fun and hospitality. You guys rock!
21.09.2008, 6:00 pmReally enjoyed the party, very cool of you two to throw it. Going to have to investigate some of the tunes that John put on. Lovely to catch up with everyone and finally see a few others in person.
btw, I really must pay a visit to Knock in the next few weeks :D
21.09.2008, 6:11 pmI’m so glad y’all enjoyed it. Thanks again for coming, it really made it all worth it. It was wonderful to see you all, too.
Eoin, there will be others! We’ll do The Party: Part 2 once we’re fully in and decorated, art has been hung and the kitchen has luxuries like doors on all of the cabinets. Woo hoo!
Sabrina/John
Thanks for a great night. Was indeed great to finally meet a lot of of you guys all in person.
22.09.2008, 12:03 amThanks so much Sabrina and John for inviting us! Great night and good to meet everyone and especially Emer! Happy Anniversary!
22.09.2008, 12:44 pmGreat night was had by all. Really enjoyed it, delighted I was there to see the (almost!) finished product…the place looks great and it really is a miracle that it was finished on time!
22.09.2008, 3:09 pmWell done Sabrina & John and here’s to many happy years (and more parties!) in your wonderful new home.
It was fun, it was a pleasure. You are great hosts.
And the conversation flowed (and was mopped up my many ears, so hopefully there are no conversation stains)
The scary thing is I left early-ish, and I’m still recovering.
You throw a good party! That’s a skill in itself.
23.09.2008, 1:26 amAnd Happy Anniversary again.
[...] I’ve written about, and he writes about family and friends. The concrete reminds me of a little party where I met friends from last weekend which I think went [...]
23.09.2008, 11:31 pm