roger and theresa's 3rd of july extravaganza

rene lance and theo, originally uploaded by trillium~mama.

I was looking back over my blog post about the party I attended on the 3rd of July, and I decided that it was much to mundane and simple for such a superb event. So here it is, the newly revised blog titled “Roger and Theresa’s 3rd of July Extravaganza”.

Tuesday was a hot, humid day in the Willamette Valley. The weatherman said 85 degrees, but I was quite sure he meant 105 degrees(you know weathermen). My poor husband Andy was out slinging tires in the heat all day, had to skip lunch, and ended up working ten hours straight. When he got home, we relaxed ate dinner, and got ready to go to the local botanical gardens to watch the fireworks(which we have on the 3rd).

We drove across town, which never takes more than 10 minutes, even in traffic. We turned into the gardens, and as we did, noticed an angry looking man driving out. We soon found out why. The gardens were full, and we were told to look elsewhere for a spot to watch the show.

Just down the hill is a nice shady park. Across from that park is the annual Roger and Theresa’s 3rd of July Extravaganza. We had never been technically invited by anyone who counted, and Andy didn’t want to crash the party. So, we walked around the park with Ava, waiting for the show to begin.

I wanted to go in so badly. I saw carloads of all the cool cats in town pouring into Roger and Theresa’s secluded country farm. The final straw hit when I saw this super annoying guy that moved to town only a year ago, weasel his way in. I said to Andy “We have know most of these people forever, we deserve to be in there”! He said he knew that, but still felt uncomfortable going in without an invitation.

Suddenly I noticed a white van coming down the road-was it Maria?! Closer....closer...Yes, it is Maria! Finally one of my close friends has shown up! I tried to look cool and calm as I walked quite desperately and quickly to her van. She asked what we were doing, and I told her the whole story. She immediately said she was inviting us in, so in we went.

We walked through the blackberry lined gate, and under an orchard. I saw familiar faces everywhere. The older artsy community, the younger creative crowd, and tons of kiddlets. There were belly dancers, drummers, and everything in between. It was everything I’d always dreamt it would be. It was like a dream-all of my friends were there, happy, basking in the afternoon glow.

We ate good food, had good drinks, conversation, and laughs. We watched children play in the tall grass, and run in and out of the child sized yurt. I got to see my favorite people, and sat and chatted with my girlfriends while we nursed our babes.

Finally darkness came over the little farm, and we all settled down on our blankets, families reunited. The fireworks began, and were spectacular. There were all sorts of comments and noises coming from the crowd. My favorite moment was when I looked back over the crowd during a flash of light. The hillside was lit up, and I could see all of the smiling faces gazing up into the sky. It felt so incredibly special to be here with my large(100+ people) extended family.

When the fireworks ended, we gathered out things and headed home. The first thing we both said to each other in the car was that we can’t wait for next year.

Thank you Roger and Theresa for helping us make such an incredible, unforgettable memory.

(photo of friends Rene and Lance, and baby Theo)