Well, my stress level skyrocketed when two weeks prior to the party the caterer let me know that she was actually double-booked on our date. I guess the other event paid more because we were suddenly without backup and expecting roughly 60-75 party guests. Yikes! A plan B came together rather quickly. By now, you probably know plan B as Brad (aka Bradley). Yes, having a dear friend that just happens to be a Vegas chef/event planner-coordinator/corporate manager/semi-professional photographer comes in quite handy! The party went off without a hitch, and I dare say that we might have raised the bar a notch or two. Christmas Party 2011??? I don't think so! Maybe every other year.
We did our best to create a celebratory environment from the moment our guests stepped onto the property. The exterior of the house was beautifully lit with luminaries to compliment the landscape lighting and the poinsettia-filled fountain.
Brad elegantly staged 4 food and beverage stations throughout the dining and great room. The dessert table provided some WOW-factor as soon as people entered the front door...
Then, guests could sample the hot hors d'oeuvres on the main dining table...
Finally, the wine and cheese stations were placed in the kitchen where guests could nibble, sip, and chat the night away. It was perfect, if I do say so myself.
In the weeks leading up to the party, I worked to transform the house into a Christmas Wonderland. I can only partially blame the party for this behavior because this is typical of me every year. The party just allowed me to take things to a new level.
Since the weather had drastically improved over the previous days, we extended the staging to include the pool patio. This would allow a little more elbow room during the peak party hours, and the outdoor fireplace and beer-stocked pool fridge were the perfect eye candy to lure people out the door.
The Master Behind the Madness! When I felt stressed, Brad laughed. You could tell which one of us has built a career out of entertaining people!
Kathryne (one of our former employees) arrived early, rolled up her sleeves, and joined the workforce like family. I guess that's why we love her!
A brief pause to snap a group photo prior to the real chaos, the arrival of the guests! I swear it's like 60+ people arrived in a tour bus. You'd never know they all drove separately based on how they poured through the door at the same time.
Rushed greetings led to lively chats and antics...
It's funny how people warm up the camera after a few drinks...
Even funnier is playing a round of Hot Potato where a sample breast implant serves as the potato...just an example of the party games played at a plastic surgeon's house. The winner left with a spa basket including our skin care line, and everyone else spent the rest of the evening passing around the breast implant and discussing the "possibilities."
Even the babysitter, Cassie, was instructed to take the night off and enjoy the evening as a guest. As if we don't treat her like family every other time she's over. Being a guest is definitely better!
Hands down, it was a fabulous evening that felt like it flew by in 15 minutes. Wish I could the same about the prep work! Heartfelt thanks go out to Brad for making it all a reality. Sure, Anh and I could have managed on our own, but Brad made it all the more special by simply coming to visit. Lending moral support would have been enough, but that's not Brad. That's why he will always hold a special place in our hearts. Love you, Brad! 
Even with limited gear, Brad seemed to be in photographer's heaven when we ventured out into our historic fishing village. Of course, I had to make due with my beginner camera which is more than enough to suit my needs, but feels woefully inadequate when you're standing next to a guy with two professional draped around his neck. I had to fight to keep the green-eyed monster away. Regardless, I'm happy with the shots I captured, and when my equipment wasn't up to par, I just made sure Brad captured the moment on my behalf. Team effort!
Jax was less than thrilled to be exploring along side of two camera junkies. After patiently waiting for us to photograph every square inch of the fort's exterior, he eventually made a break for the entrance. He'd had waited long enough! He was going inside with or without us!
I quickly discovered that Jax is much more tolerant of the camera when it is focused on him. What a little ham!
Brad, however, prefers to remain behind the lens. He did agree to pose for a few shots with his buddy though. So at least I do have photographic evidence that he did in fact visit us at least once throughout the course of our decades-long friendship.
It really was entertaining to watch Brad as he wandered and put his two trusty cameras to work. While I prefer to focus on human subjects and see the landscape merely as the backdrop, Brad is a budding landscape photographer. His work is very "National Geographic." Occasionally, I did lure him out of his "comfort zone" and get him to direct his lenses towards the boys. I had to be a bit selfish!
As always, my two little characters were willing to put on quite the performance when the camera was pointed in their direction. Here's Baylor bracing for the cannon's BOOM. I wonder if he really believed it would fire?
Here's Jax doing his best Zoolander impersonation...
After that, it was back to landscape photography. I'm sure the boys actually enjoyed not having the camera in their face that day. Don't get used to that, Jax & Baylor. You're still mommy's preferred subjects.
Which made having them pose for this shot on the way out seem like extreme torture. That's life as a celebrity...always having to be camera-ready. Gotta prepare them for the future!
Part of the weekend "fun" involves assembling a scrapbook of the time you spent with Freddy Frog who is supposed to accompany you everywhere! Let me just say that I was beyond thrilled to discover that Jaxon's huge honor would require me to complete yet another project on what turned out to be the busiest project weekend (Christmas shopping, present wrapping, party planning, Christmas cards, etc.) of the holiday season. All sorts of holiday responsibilities on top of the usual list of chores, and then, the last minute inclusion of the class project. Fun! Of course Jaxon would be honored this week and not some less busy week in August, September, October, or November. Yay! Just what does Mrs. P have against me?
