For years, Wifey and I hosted New Year's Eve parties. This started when we lived together in a 1/1 apartment called Les Chalet, which I was told is ungrammatical in French. We'd have friends over, and drink, and dance to music over a new fangled thing called a CD player. We'd blast the B-52s and Romantics, and have a great time.
A lingering memory I have from those days is Wifey's friend Eileen. She got wasted, and her boyfriend angrily left her at the party. Wifey and I walked her home to her apartment down the street. Eileen was always steeped in drama with a complicated relationship. 32 years later, she still is -- though now her act plays in an Asheville suburb...
When Wifey and I bought our first house, the parties got bigger and better. NYE of '86-'87 we hosted my Mom and two sisters and their families. The party served as the rehearsal dinner for our wedding. I brought in loads of Chinese food, and there was drama and vomiting performed by my nephew, and a niece, as I recall. But my Mom cleaned up the bathroom, and we had a great time, followed by our wedding two nights later.
The following year, we had over 100 people in our tiny house. Our friend Elizabeth's husband Pat was a well known but by that time fading rock star, and he brought his pink Stratocaster and a small amplifier and performed for us in our living room. It was a terrific party -- Wifey's cousin Sandy and his then new girl Felicity were there -- Sandy told me it was the best party he ever attended. It was really something.
The next house was where we welcomed in Y2K -- the year that was possible going to end it all -- the computers we had come to rely on maybe were all going to fail.
We had a lot of people over -- Wifey's bff Edna and her family stayed from Atlanta. At midnight, the Ds and I and a few other guests jumped into our pool. And the world didn't end.
Last night we decided to reprise our NYE hosting, albeit on a smaller scale. We brought in stone crabs, and sides, and lots of champagne. Mike and Loni and Deb and Norman joined us.
I had my old CD player going, with songs from the eclectic play list dating back to the 70s. We sat at the dining room table -- the doors were open to the delicious cool breeze of Miami in January. We toasted, we six, and affirmed we were 6 of the luckiest people we know.
Mike, Norman, and I have known each other since law school. We have 7 kids among us, each soaring in her own way. And our wives understand and indulge our love for the Canes. In Norman and Mike's cases, it's a generational thing. I'm a first generation fan -- but now almost 40 years going.
The Ds were together, which warmed me. I had dropped D2 with her sister in the Grove -- they were to spend the evening with their awesome husband and boyfriend. When I woke this am, I saw Jonathan's Dad's car here -- so I know he and D2 made it home safely.
It's a gorgeous day. Maybe there'll be a new year's breakfast on the schedule.
Wednesday is Wifey and my 31st wedding anniversary. It's also Loni's birthday, so we'll celebrate the day with her and Mike -- probably in the Gables. January 3 is the official end of the holidays for us.
31 years of marriage. Wow. Somehow those party hosting days of the 80s don't seem so far in the past. But time keeps rolling, as the great song goes, like a river.
It's wondrous to mark it's passing. And as for this brand new year, 2000 plus chai, or 18 -- so far, so good.
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