A few years while you were growing up we got bold enough to invite neighbors and friends--sometimes from the ward and, most memorably, from the neighborhood. Who could forget the years we invited the Hirsches, the Less', the Callahans, the Lopez' and the Groves--not all of those at the same time, of course. And it was the success of those FHE's which made me bold enough to think maybe some of our current friends would enjoy a fun evening much like the Nichols Family used to pony up to in years gone by.
There have been more than a half dozen families in our Carlson Farm Ward who have included us in their Sunday dinners, summer bar-be-ques, and made us recipients of their treat basket drop offs. In fact the list of families got so large--and my fearful aversion to having to reciprocate with dinner so out of proportion--that I began to cast about for some kind of activity which would be FUN for me to plan and execute. NOT something like invite each family over for dinner. Yikes! I can hardly cook for the missionaries anymore let alone dinner for whole families!
Voila! It is summer. It is July. It was an idea that just came together when one of the families suggested we get together sometime and order in pizza. That was it! A MODERN DAY PIONEER celebration! And the kernal of thought took off by itself and germinated into a very fun and memorable evening the other night at our very own Sweetbriar homestead. A Modern Day Pioneer Pizza Party on July 27th for FHE.
All of the families were able to come but the Andersons who had just taken off for a two week vacation. Still, we had a backyard full of 36 people--adults and kids--who were enthusiastic to celebrate in a storied "Nichols Family Traditional Family Home Evening". Even Louis, who still does not share our Nichols Family FHE enthusiasm, kicked in and helped out as I planned for the Pioneer games we all got such a kick out of in years gone by. Our Secrest Court backyard would have been ideal for a group this large, but we made do with a much smaller space, and it wasn't even crowded the way we set up the games around the perimeter and left the grassy area open for the families to sit on their blankets.
Though there were SIX "Kid Colters" that night instead of just the two Grove boys, we were able to keep a lid on most of the games: stick/ball, 3-legged races, hoops, pounding nails, and milking contests. The absolute favorite was the group Tug of War, which Louis really planned for including a new, huge/long rope.
In addition I added a couple of new games. One was a Camping Game--Then and Now where they had to determine which time frame such amenities as soda pop or candles fit into. There were twenty different choices.
The other game was similar to Walking the Dog from D.R.'s anniversary party years ago. I asked Cheyenne to make a poster of the Pioneer Trail snaking through the desert, the streams, and the mountains from Iowa to the Salt Lake Valley. She did such a good job! Then I made 15 action cards with descriptions like "burned the biscuits--lose one turn" so each family could move a marker from start to finish.
We asked everyone to come Pioneer--dressed. But I had a whole stack of neck scarves and hats just in case someone came without a pioneer apron, bonnet, or hat. But these Modern-day Mormons ALL had Pioneer stuff. No one needed a costume. We also asked them to bring drinks for their own families and a dessert to share with everyone, a blanket to sit on in the wagon circle, and a Pioneer story to share. As you would guess, I was prepared with the Red Coat and the Skirt That Grew on a Bush stories, but everyone had their own contribution--including the two families who were the "Pioneers" in their family. So, I didn't tell our traditional favorites. We sang Pioneer songs around the "campfire", too, though Louis didn't go so far as to actually put wood in the new fire pit we've had since last summer and never used. And...we furnished the pizza!
It said 6-8:30 pm on the invitations, but it was well past nine p.m. and full dark by the time people were ready to go home. I took that as a sign people were having a good time. I certainly did. It was like having family around again, albeit they weren't as well-schooled about how to play the games and go all out Pioneer style the way the Nichols Family knows how to do.
It was was an original and fun reciprocity to thank our friends (who are all the ages of my own children and grandchildren) for their very welcome part of our life.
SUCCESS WITH A CAPITAL "P"!
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