the table in the morning

This morning, the girls woke me up really, really early.

In fact, it was only a few hours after I had gone to bed. I figured that since they dragged me out of bed, I had better take a few pictures of what was left of the dinner party.

Usually, Joey and I make it a habit to stay up for hours after everyone has gone home, doing the dishes and going over the party for ourselves. We don't have a dishwasher, and this process takes hours.
But last night, we went straight to bed. It was late, I mean, really late, and before he could finish his sentence, "Let's just wait till..." I was stumbling down the hallway. The girls were totally entertained to find me in my pajamas this morning that were fully inside out.

But this morning, through my, well let's just call it a haze, the morning-after table made me feel happy. I could almost hear the sound of everyone still talking, and it felt great to have them there.

Tomorrow I'll tell you what I made, and about the crazy dramatic moment in my dinner preparation where I was almost blinded (I swear I don't make these things up!). But tonight I'd just really like to thank the people who came last night, and the people who have come to the previous dinner parties. It's not easy to walk into a room and sit at a table with people you don't know, and I have deep gratitude that you all are willing to take a risk and go with it, even if the looming possibility of an evening of stagnant conversation and horrible food seemed too much to bear. I hope that you were glad you came, and that I sat you next to someone you liked, and that you're belly was full and happy when you left. I am so happy to know you.

On to the next party? I'm going to change things a bit. In the spirit of the essay that got me started on this whole thing, I'm going to start asking you to invite (or reinviting) yourselves. If you live around here, or you might be passing through, let me know and I'll try to get something together if it's not already happening. You can contact me up there in the Nav bar, or just leave a comment. Just tell me you want in, and the seat is yours.

And as usual, I'd love it if you want to share any salon dinner parties that you are hosting. Tell us about them in the comments, or send me pictures and I'll show them off.

It's a slow revolution, but a revolution nonetheless. If you haven't tried it, go for it. Let's get everyone to come sit down and eat.