who needs a reason for a party?

I adore parties. Not necessarily the wild, loud music, jump-up-and-down in a drunken orgy type of party but the let's decorate, drink a glass of wine, and socialize type of party. Some of you are probably thinking, "that's a party?". But, that's my kind of party! Can you tell I'm not in college anymore?

A couple months ago, I was desperately itching to throw a party. The husband and I had plans to have a few friends over for dinner. Much to his surprise, I transformed our casual "have friends over" into a themed dinner party. Yes, I said, themed. It was very slight and hardly tacky. You probably won't even notice it in the pictures. The friends were coming over the day after the opening ceremony for the summer Olympics. This meant red, white, and blue were running through my veins. I didn't want the potentially tacky summer BBQ look. I wanted something elegant and classy, yet still showing a hint of American pride.

Side note, the chairs on the right hand side of the table were a side of the road gem. Completely free and a perfect addition for our table. I'm planning on sprucing them up with a coat of paint! I can't wait to do the project and I promise, I'll post pictures of the final outcome.

Now, back on topic. The dinner party was a great success. Our friends, the Hutchins and the Mengels, came over for a kabob and appetizer feast.

I am absolutely obsessed with caprese, so that was an appetizer must. I also fell in love with these cucumber boats, found on susie freaking homemaker's blog. 

The food was delicious and the company was amazing. Now it's time for me to plan my next dinner party!

p.s. this is way late post so all pictures are from our old house -- I promise to get some pictures up soon of our new place.