end-of-summer BBQ

We hosted a barbecue with some of our friends and their families in our backyard on the very last day of August. We like to have a barbecue every summer, but we barely squeezed one in to this summer! We'd tried all month long to find a good date that would work, but kept having conflicts. Finally, we set it for the evening of August 31, which was the Sunday of Labor Day weekend--the last weekend of summer! We've never had a barbecue on Sunday before, but it worked out so nicely. All the men were off work, there was plenty of time that afternoon to prepare the meal, there was still water in the ditch for the kids to play in (our water turn is on the weekends), and the weather was so beautiful that day!

Our barbecue grill wasn't working right, so we decided to use Edward's grill in the yard by their house instead of hosting the barbecue on our deck. Since Edward and Kathy also have picnic tables in their yard, it was nice to not have to set up tables, either. We were so appreciative of them letting us use their yard! It was the nicest barbecue I think we've ever hosted. I never felt stressed like I usually do because this time I didn't have to worry about setting up tables & chairs on our deck and yard, I didn't have to fret that Josh might come home late from work to grill dinner, and I didn't worry at all about entertainment for the kids. Not only that, but our friends who joined us were calm and amiable and the kids all got along so well together. I just loved this barbecue so, so much! 

The food was outstanding: Josh grilled some homemade burgers, Gina brought several delicious items like fruit pizza and peanut butter/chocolate bars, Hailey brought yummy pretzel salad and pork & beans, and Stacie brought fresh watermelon. These are all the perfect fixings for a barbecue!

The company was delightful; we all talked and laughed for hours! The conversations were very uplifting and fun, which made the atmosphere very relaxing and enjoyable.

The kids played non-stop with each other: they played football, climbed on haybales, played in the ditch water, had apple wars, rode bikes, and played on the toys in the yard. They all got along and kept themselves occupied nicely.

We had such a pleasant evening with our friends. We are so blessed to have associations with such good people, and we were so glad to have them come over! After they left, I felt happy inside the rest of the night, and I kept thinking to myself "we should do this more often!". It was the perfect Sunday afternoon, and one I truly treasure.