I love Super Bowl Sunday and all the festivities that go with it. For the past 25 years we celebrated this occasion with the same group of people, joyfully and decadently.
It stated in 1985 when I worked as book-keeper in a obstetrics and gynecology office in the Chinn Building, next to Valley Medical Center in Renton, WA. There were four of us in the office, Kay Sullivan, R.N., Gerry Myers, M.D. , Lori Bonifant, receptionist, and me, book-keeper/office manager, Mary Cat. We got along very well. Kay and I were the same age, and Lori was just out of Adventist (boarding) High School. And we became friends.
Kay hosted a Super Bowl party every year in February and that's how it started. She is an intensely loyal friend and her friends are the same with her, so she kept the same group year after year.
When she invited Jim and I to join them way back in the day, most of us had young children, but the party was for adults only, so the kids had super bowl parties of their own with friends and relatives. We all contributed the best appetizers and entrees we could muster, and I must say it was grand.
We would gather at Kay and Denny's beautifully kept, sparkling home before game time and set out our food and get on the game board before settling into a cozy spot in front of their big screen T.V. The other guests were very exuberant and animated and we drank wine and beer, basked in the candle lit surroundings, and enjoyed the day.
Eventually we moved from Seattle to Puyallup, WA. and for the 10 years we lived there we continued to commute in to Burien for these parties.
We grew accustomed to wonderful Arabic food contributed by Kay and Denny's friends and neighbors, Sam and Nadia, whose country of Nativity was Israel. Sam's loud cheering and lamenting paired with his wife, Nadia's kind nurturing nature was a precious part of the mix.
Another couple in our eclectic little group was Vickie and David. Vickie worked as book-keeper in another office with Kay, and she is a gentle loving soul, except during game time. During the game she is a force to be reckoned with. Although Vickie has a grown daughter, she and David have no children of their own. Still, she calls him "Daddy".
They do have a very well loved and pampered Old English Sheep Dog, named Stuart who is the light of their lives. "Daddy" David has to make a run home during the occasional commercial to check on Stuart's well being, much to my delight. I love observing "gentle oddities" in others.
Years ago, when we lived in Sea-Tac, WA., my elderly neighbor, Belle stopped in for a visit at our home, and casually commented, "We have a new neighbor down the street, Dear. You'd like her. She's as peculiar as we are." I remember replying, "Ohhh, yes, I'm sure I would."
More about Belle and her delightful quips later. She deserves a blog of her own as do Kay and Denny. But enough of the past, and on to here and now..
This is our first winter in South Dakota since high school days, and our first Super Bowl here. Not wanting to give up the gala affair, I asked my sister, Carol to host the party, since she just acquired a big screen Flat screen, HD television, and she agreed to do it.
We had a very enjoyable day, very special food and drink and an exciting game to watch. I took Cocktail Meatballs in a sauce, a rice, broccoli casserole, strawberry pretzel salad, artisan bread and my home made Bailey's Irish Cream. Carol had a relish tray, (crudites and dip), cocktail wienies, red beers w/ celery, chicken drummies. We had so much that she opted to save the pizza and egg rolls for another occasion. All in all we had a very good time.
Since it was cold and icy outside, Mother decided not to come to the party, so I delivered some of all the things I prepared over to her house on the way to the game, and she planned to watch it on her home television.
Brother Bill Hardcastle came, as did Jessie Fischer with his baby daughter, Alaya, and a young man who is a friend of Jess. Then there was Jim and I and Carol and Dennis.
I must confess that both Carol and I fell asleep a few times, much to our disgust, and missed parts of the game and some good commercials. When I spoke with my Mom later on she said she had slept through the entire game. My observance was it was a good thing she didn't come over as there would have been three of us crashed in front of the tv. Undoubtedly, there was the occasional snore heard over the din of the sports event.
We'll strive to be better rested next year so we can be as animated as the memorable game days
in Seattle. Well,-----we can try. That's a tall order.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment