The Pounding

(Warning: This post will not flow naturally from one subject to the next.)

Yesterday Brian and I were pounded. Not with rain or rocks or anything like that. With groceries! Sandy hosted a Colorado party for the relatives and friends who couldn't make it to our wedding in Tennessee. She had the idea of making it a "pounding" where you pound the couple with food for their pantry that starts with the same letter as your last name. We got Almonds from the Allens and sugar from the Snells and Vegetable stock from the Valentins.

My mother-in-law (the afore mentioned Sandy) is a gifted hostess. Not only does she have a knack for party planning but she exudes true hospitality by making her guests feel at ease and at home. In the times that Brian and I have been able to have people over I've noticed my tendency to put the primary emphasis on presentation and the comfort of our guests secondary. Sometimes the most comfortable thing is not the most "presentable."

For instance, a couple weeks ago we went to dinner at a couple's house who've been married about a year. The husband finished up array of Indian dishes while his wife gave us a tour. (This couple is just as American as Brian and me, they're just more adventurous.)

When it was time to eat he spread out a bed sheet on the living room floor and placed all the pots and pans on pot holders right there in the middle of the sheet. We sat cross legged and ate all of the different dishes out of a rice bowl. It was the most relaxed I'd felt all week. After we finished eating no one jumped up to clear the ... sheet, we just continued to enjoy each other uninterrupted. I have not felt more loved and truly served since we've moved to Golden. I aspire to the kind of people-centered hospitality that both Sandy and our adventurous friends have modeled.

Back to the pounding ...

I met Brian's family's friends from church and his neighborhood. It was great finally putting names with faces. Quite a few of Brian's friends from Mines and my friends from Focus came.

All the different groups meshed nicely and enjoyed the spread. To the right is the dessert table. (I'd never heard of pistachio desserts until I met the Ramseys. I had my doubts in the beginning but now I love pistachio cake.)

Brian and I left the Pounding feeling very full of both food and love. And we're still trying to find pantry space for all our new groceries :)

On a crazy note, tomorrow the high here in 80228 will be 44. That's right Southern friends, say it with me forty-four degrees. The temperature as I write this post is 74 and it is sunny outside. I plan on going through my winter clothes bin as soon as I'm done here.