My big brother had a big birthday this week! We did a lot of celebrating (and I took minimal pictures - always happens when I host a party). That being said, you know you're busy having a good time when the night ends and there aren't any pics on the phone. My mom, sister, and I wanted to make sure that we had all of Brett's favorite things at the party so we had photographs from his life hung from ribbon around my condo (Brett is a photographer), his favorite foods (swedish meatballs, antipasto, dips), drinks, and cookies (mom's ginger cookie recipe is the best)!

Party planning is a lot of work, but, I really enjoy it. I took quick pictures before the majority of guests showed up. To me, it's all about the details... bar essentials, candy in little bowls, cheese in every room, flowers to brighten, and appetizers that are quick to serve. You don't want to spend your time in the kitchen for the entire party - being able to enjoy the company is essential!

Setting up a self serve bar is key. I had this little setup in the kitchen, red and white wine in the living room, and beers in a cooler on my deck. Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves and Brett said he had a great time. That's what really matters! A success - thank goodness!

The next day we met up and went to Ella's soccer game and hung out with these little munchkins!

Sunday night arrived wayyy too quickly (doesn't it always?). Until next weekend... here's my motivation for the week: This 'quote of the day' showed up in my email last week and I read it aloud to my coworkers. We're approaching our busy season so it was very timely and appropriate. It can be applied to so many situations... patience with projects at work, patience with yourself in efforts to be 'better', patience with others in line at the grocery store, patience for the weekend to arrive again ;). I must say that as I approach my, cough, thirtieth birthday this year... the one thing that I've worked on throughout my twenties is my patience. I used to be extremely impatient (especially with myself), but, I'm not nearly as much as I used to be. Trust me, it took a lot of work and I still get pretty impatient on the road and in traffic (that may never go away - ha!), but, overall it's soooo much less stressful to not be so freaking impatient all the time.

I'd love to know... on a scale of 1-10, how patient are you?! Something to think about.

Have an awesome week! xo