Happy 2011.5!

 So I'm just going to put this out there.  2011 sucked.  Then it got worse.  Then after that, the worse choked on the suck and ran into a dog while riding a bike.  BUT -- we still have 6 months to go.  So what are you going to do?  Draw yourself a clean slate, that's what!  Andre (shown below), declared June 14 (flag day) the day we would surrender to 2011, raise the white flag, and declare the beginning of 2011.5.  Complete with gluten free cake, champagne, and amazing friends.  I think 2011.5 is going to be a good year.

 boys being boys.  i love ron and andre.  if you have to be a guy and you have to be straight, this is the best way to be both those things.

 larae rubbing jana's shoulders.  also a photo i couldn't rotate.  i will work on it.

 

Round 2 of the party was outside (once the wind died down)- grilling, chatting, eating cupcakes

 clapping.  . . i suspect the clapping was either in response to the amazing salad i made or emily's singing.  i'll just leave it at that.

 jana telling a story.  crazy! 

 emily entertaining the crowd

 oh -- look what showed up.  i took this photo because of the way the  (useless, as it turns out) citronella candle was reflecting through the glass table and onto the iPad.  in other words, about 1/17 of this photo is cool and artistic. 

 me and jane ann dancing to a song (we were dancing straight up and down -- turn your head) that i can't remember, but it was very fun.  until julie started telling us that neither of us could dance.  psh.  it's not like there was a prize.

 too cute.

 see how happy people are in 2011.5?

julie and emily singing from fiddler on the roof.  and yes, you do have to hold your hands like that when you sing fiddler on the roof.

how often does this happen in YOUR living room?

Untitled from H M R on Vimeo.

yeah.  that's what i thought.

i can't thank all these amazing people enough.  but i'll try a little more here and there.