Party on the Pati-O

Sheesh! I can't believe it's pushing 2 am again. My parents seriously keep me up late, and I love it because it makes me break my usual "in bed by 9" routine.

It's not like they're "party animals" or anything, they simply lack a set routine, which is what I set my heart by in my own daily life! Because my dad is retired and my mom only works a couple of days a week, they tend to set their own pace. Plus, when we haven't seen each other in a solid month, there's usually quite a bit to catch up on!

Let's rewind to this afternoon. Our big plans for the day revolved around getting ready for a small gathering on their patio this evening. When my brother passed away, my parents had just moved to a new part of Dallas. They'd literally been in the house for a week. The neighbors were wonderful and really reached out to support my parents. From bringing homecooked meals to dropping off notes of encouragement, these "strangers" were anything but!

We started our preparations for the day with some grocery shopping at my fave--Central Market!



The padres and I also picked up salad bar treats for lunch, since we had a full day ahead of us. Central Market has quite the extensive salad bar, and I concocted a mish-mash of sorts, including tofu and snap peas, noodle and shrimp salad, red quinoa, and veggies with red pepper hummus. Hit the spot!



After eating lunch, I spent the rest of the day cooking and baking up a storm with my mama. On the menu:



*Appetizers: Crudites with Mmmm sauce (my own healthy contribution!), flatbreads with spinach dip, chilled watermelon slices, tortilla chips with guac and pico

*Dinner: Grilled sliders (beef & turkey) with assorted toppings, Grilled mushrooms stuffed with mozarella, Bacon and ranch pasta salad, Baked beans, and Mixed greens salad with French vinagrette

*Dessert: Rootbeer floats and mini cupcakes



I didn't snap any photos because I was so busy with prep work! Bad blogger, I'll learn :)

It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to thank these wonderful people who reached out the my parents when they did not even know them. One of the neighbors told me, "It's people helping people. If we don't have that in this world, we'll never make it."

Couldn't have said it better myself :) So blessed by God's people!