Girls Just Want to Have Fun

So today I had my girlfriend, Mary, over for a day-o-fun.

The thing about my friend Mary is....she's just so great. As a fellow English major and UCF alumni, Mary can seamlessly discuss with me the literary career of Fitzgerald and Hemingway. She can then, quite quickly, transition to conversing upon the horrid parking situation at the University we once incurred daily.

Since last year, my husband and I have moved from our cozy apartment near where Mary lived. We now live in a smaller suburb on the outskirts of Orlando.

Although I miss how close Mary and I once lived from each other,we are the type of friends that can always pick up right where we left off. That is what makes the times we get to spend together so neat! Today was one of those times.

This afternoon, before her arrival, I put together a home-cooked lunch for she and I.

FYI:I POSITIVELY LIVE for entertaining!!! I always vowed, growing up, that if I ever had a house-like residence and a "grown up" job I would have people over all the time. Fortunately for me, I do have a rental home and employment these days.

These days, I get super into having themed get-togethers. I love having the decor, centerpieces, and menu all match the occasion to which I'm catering. Why yes...I DO realize I'm a gigantic nerd.

For this, specific, lunch with Mary, I chose to go with bold, feminine colors in the flower arrangement. I took a long, slender vase and filled it with neutral colored rocks from our wedding centerpieces. From this point, I arranged inexpensive fresh flowers in the vase and filled it with water.

For the dinner-ware, I used red and white plates for another fun burst of color. I then partnered the plates with disposable, bright napkins and my Kate Spade cutlery (a gift from the wedding). All together, it looked something like this:

For the menu, I made:
APPETIZER: Pita chips & Hummus
MEAL: Small(er) serving of shrimp scampi, garlic knots, zucchini
DESSERT:Mini brownie a-la-mode for dessert.

All together the meal came out pretty good and I was so happy to spend time with my friend!

After lunch, Mary and I spent a little time exploring DeBary. My personal favorite stop, I think, was the tour around the Swamp House Grill. It was SO much fun to walk around the water-line with my buddy and laugh about life :)