The Day of the Party! Good thing someone looked up the weather in MontanaâĶ

Pike’s Place Market, Seattle, WA
With excitement brimming, dishes stewing, and the water glasses sweating in the 90-degree weather, the day of the Sims family party had finally arrived! I couldnât wait to see everyone again, and tell them what we had been up to and where we were planning to go next. Since I was in charge of salads â both lettuce and fruit â that day, I had to get a head start on the mise en place for the dish so it could all cool in time for the guests to arrive. Luckily I had the kitchen mostly to myself, and we had already gone shopping at Pikes Place Market earlier in the week for all of the necessary goods, so I got to work.
Soon, people started piling in, and the smiles and hugs reverberated through the crowd. Food was served, and time seemed to slow down for that afternoon as we all met under the shade awnings and talked about what a year weâd had. The kids played in the sprinkler/slide and absolutely none of the adults complained when they got wet from standing too close to the action. We talked about our plans for the house and the work SUNTEX would be doing all month long â and somehow I was even more invigorated to see all of the changes. We also mentioned our camping trip and the healthy fear of bears that had started to take over us.

Pike’s Place Market, Seattle, WA
Funnily enough, we had been planning so intently for the weekend reunion, as well as gathering the camping supplies and doing meal prep for the cooler, that no one had even bothered to look up the weather where we would stay. So, it was quite a surprise when someone shouted, âItâs going to snow in Montana in August?!â Quickly, we whipped out our phones and checked â sure enough, the second night we were planning to be in Glacier National Park, the temperature was expected to be 28 degrees Fahrenheit, with a chance of flurries! My Texas ears just couldnât believe it â snow in August?? We had packed for cool weather but not this! Thank God someone looked it up before we left!
I think itâs safe to say the party was a success. With full bellies and full hearts, everyone parted ways that evening, laughing a little easier. It was incredibly refreshing getting to spend time with family again, and even though we were outside in the summer heat, we didnât encounter any problems a Topo Chico couldnât fix.