Tuesday, May 29, 2012

It's Officially Summer When You Break Out The Disco Ball

I didn’t have my blog last year so this is my first real attempt to portray anything that resembles my actual summer life (with the exception of Dumpster Diving) and what we fondly refer to as our “dance parties”.

And this is exactly how the first one of the summer came to be on the first potential night that everyone could be together (we really only see each other in the summertime). It took one phone call and two boat bys. “Come over for burgers. No don’t bring anything. Just come. It’ll be low key”. Ya, right!

You could cut the excitement in the air with a knife because it was the official beginning of the summer, Friday of Memorial Day weekend. We all know what that means!

Our four families have been busting out the moves, some better than others, since the moment the children were big enough to swing around in our arms without the risk of injury (sleeping babies dance too, you know). It never took much, just one kid or one “grown up” with a bit too much mojo goin’ and it started.

The ingredients for our style of fun are simpler than baking a cake from a box mix. All it takes is exactly 18 people (kids’ ages range from 16-22 and the "grown ups" (ages not disclosed)), our garage with two kick ass 30-year-old rebuilt college speakers, an iPod or two and this...


DJs get changed out every 2-3 songs to accommodate everyone’s tastes and alternate between adults and kids but it’s amazing how much overlap we actually have from listening to each other’s music for countless years. Some country is even tolerated because the college girls insist.

Our two mandatory songs are oldies but they’re the ones the kids request fondly and enthusiastically because of memories and traditions from so long ago.


“Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison 
(funny 90% of us are blue eyed)
And “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond

EVERYONE drops what he or she is doing to dance and sing (scream?) together... All 18!

It hasn’t gone unnoticed (and makes the “grown ups” smile) that our kids WANT to spend evenings hanging with us. They constantly ask, “What're we all doing tonight?” and they’re disappointed if it doesn’t include everyone because sometimes it can’t. They are together constantly, anyway.

We are a sentimental group and always take a moment, on such nights, to look around, take it all in and realize…

This is where we’re meant to be.

We DO have rules, however! Well, only one rule. Cell phones on the table, kids. Your video content will be perused and deleted because, if you remember, we said no evidence and no YouTube. Two were confiscated Saturday morning!

“These Are Days” By 10,000 Maniacs

These are the days you might fill
With laughter until you break
These days you might feel
A shaft of light
Make its way across your face
And when you do
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaning
It's true
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
Hear the signs and know they’re speaking
To you, to you

10 comments:

Arnebya said...

Oh, the dance parties. I know them well. It's usually just the five of us (an extra if there's a sleeperoverer) but I know what you mean: that looking around and just knowing. It's a good feeling.

a.eye said...

What an awesome, awesome tradition!!!! I love that you mix up the songs but have some staples and I love that 10,000 Maniacs song!!!

Gina said...

I know YOU love dance parties, too! Fridays I believe!

We had two extra this time (my daughter's boyfriend and a boy's girl). They were so in the mix and commented about how much fun they had!

Yep! You look around and think "there's nothing better than this moment" and you want nothing to change, ever! Tugs at the heart.

Gina said...

There is a long history for us that backs up those two songs. AND it's fun knowing the words to a lot of the kids college songs. "These Are Days" is one of my very favorites.

Ed Pilolla said...

these are the days was a favorite back in the day.
a sentimental group sounds like a very good one.

Gina said...

I still love the song even though it's on the old side. Reminds me of things, but don't all good songs!

Yep! We are and we're huggers too. Even the guys, although they've known each other since grade school. The kids are like extremely close cousins. Nothing like people having your back!

About Last Weekend said...

Fabulous - Love burgers, These are the Days and nights like this - and a disco ball makes every ceiling a happenstance.

About Last Weekend said...

No, a happening is what I meant....happenstance is an accident, which happens later in the evening at our place after too much liquid vice...

Gina said...

The Disco Ball, when broken out, takes the whole thing to another level. Fun, fun nights at the lake. Takes days to recooperate.

Gina said...

Oh, you got it right the first time. Hence our need to confiscate and delete all videos with the parents as subject. They think its funny to show their friends. We deleted two from Friday night. Unfortunately or fortunately, however you choose to view it, the parents are crazier than their kids when it comes to our DP. We've been at it much longer!