Hostess with the Mostest
Over the weekend, I took the kids to Minneapolis primarily to watch the Broncos play the Vikings in a pre-season game at U.S. Bank Stadium. While we were there, it made sense to see our friends. From the moment we arrived, my family was immediately pampered and cared for in so many ways. I counted the moments we were were blessed by being hosted:
(1.) We were treated to seats in a luxury suite at the stadium. The view was amazing, the food and drinks were great and the hosts, David and Frankie, are the very best.
One of the larger suites in the stadium, Stickney Hill Dairy can host many guests. We were lucky to be guests!
Look at this view! Great seats and good friends.
Tommy wore a Broncos hat and a Vikings T-shirt.
The host, David, receives 18 hats to give out.
Hostess Frankie wore Bronco’s orange pants and a Vikings Skol T-shirt.
(2.) Thanks to Frankie and David, after the game, we Ubered safely to their beautiful home.
My besties, Allison and Frankie. Sporting half Vikings and half Broncos gear. I wore white because we sat in a Vikings suite.
(3.) When we got to their house, like a princess, I took a nap and then woke up to find a wonderful spread of appetizers and drinks. However, instead of noshing there, we decided to crash a party at a neighbor’s house. We had good intentions: Frankie was new to the neighborhood and we thought she needed to meet her neighbors and just as important, her neighbors’ friends. The three of us snuck in with our friend who was an invited guest.
Party Crashers but for a legitimate reason: for Frankie to meet her neighbors!
(4.) At the party we crashed, the hostess made sure her guests were well-fed with tray passed appetizers and full access to several hosted bars. There was a live band and a dance floor just a few yards away from the shore of Lake Minnetonka. The party setting was the coolest. The hostess was celebrating her 50th birthday and we thank you birthday girl!
Spicy margarita and nachos for me, white wine for Allison. This hostess really knows how to throw a party.
(5.) We came back to Frankie’s house and stayed up talking into the night. Finally, I crawled into the most wonderful, warm, cozy bed. It was easy to fall asleep and it was even easier to sleep in.
When I finally woke up, reality set in. How were we going to proceed with the day? My crew had slept in but our wish lists of how we wanted to spend the day meant it was going to be a jam-packed day. We needed to get going. We each had the same agenda: to see as many friends as we could. The funny thing was, I didn’t have a car to accomplish any of these plans. Plus, I didn’t know which hotel to stay in because we wanted to do so much that I wasn’t sure which city we would end our day.
(6.) Our hostess, Frankie, had a solution. After she fed us bagels and cream cheese, she lent me her car and we were to sleep at her house for another night even though she and her family would not be home. Not only did that bagel breakfast keep me fueled up all day, but Frankie’s solution allowed my kids and I to have such a wonderfully packed day. We were able to see many friends and I was able to accomplish some much needed errands. As I was driving around town in her Jeep, I felt this huge sense of gratitude. It was like a wonderful hug. Knowing that our friends were willing to accommodate the last minute plans and roll with how our day was unfolding was truly a gift.
So hard to say goodbye to these girlfriends and Murray the dog but fun to jump into Frankie’s Jeep and see more friends.
(7.) While I was on a leisurely long walk/talk with one of my best friends, Anne, (8.) my daughter was enjoying a charcuterie picnic hosted by her two besties. (9.) Simultaneously, my son, who was dropped off at my friend Lisa’s house before I met up with Anne, went to watch his former hockey team play in a tournament. Lisa’s son plays for the team as well as my son’s best buddy. After the game, my son caught a ride to a birthday party with his best buddy.
My son played on this team before we left for Denver. Lisa’s son has been on his team many times and Lisa and I always sat by each other for games. We miss the Koldens.
Number 5 is one of my son’s BFFs. Wish they could have continued to grow up together. Mary, his mom, hosted a birthday party at the club for a classmate friend after this game. Another BFF was able to sub for this game which was great because then we got to see him too!
His team lost the championship but got second place. The highlight was that my son was able to wear a helmet and work the players bench and door.
(10.) After I ran some errands, I circled back to Lisa’s house to see her remodeled kitchen and sample her “Smashed Potatoes” made in her Wolf CSO (convection steam oven) and her garden grown veggies Bruschetta.
My friend Lisa gave me some “see you later, not goodbye” thoughtful pinches. I’ve never been able to find an effective Prosecco bottle top but this one seems very viable. LOVE the name Prosecco Perfecto! She also found incense matches for the bathroom. A hack that she shared with me because she knows I really dig hacks. So thoughtful! Perfect stocking stuffer ideas here folks!
(11.) At this point in the day, my daughter caught a ride to another friend’s house so that she could meet up with her dancer friends and walk to dinner in Linden Hills. (12.) After I spent time with Lisa, I met up with my son at the birthday party which was hosted by our friend Mary at the club. Side note: her son was not the birthday celebrant so it was generous for her to organize and host the event so that the boys could play football and swim together. (13.) Allison came to spend some time with us and she picked up the tab for my favorite Shrimp + Avocado Salad dinner and a signature Bootleg drink because my family is no longer members at the club since we moved to Denver.
At 9:30pm the night was wrapping up. I picked up my daughter and we headed to (14.) the house of another friend of my son’s because a very impromptu playdate was taking place there. (15.) Finally at about 10:15pm, in Frankie’s white Jeep, my kids and I drove back to her house and settled into our cozy bed for another really nice sleep.
We had a car picking us up to go to the airport in the morning. These two could not wake up because this bed is the best!
I never could have planned that day any better. There were many moving parts that synchronized pretty well and that is because of many friends. My village. It’s good to acknowledge why things work out because without the generosity of these friends, these memories would have been missed. Labeling or numbering (counting) - whatever it takes to see these gestures for what they are, brings awareness of hospitality and the role that hosts play in making us feel special.
Vikings purple orchids. Simple but brightening. My way of letting this family know that I see them, I feel them and I am grateful for them.
As a thoughtful pinch to the hostess with the mostest, I left behind a purple orchid arrangement. I wanted to think bigger, I wanted to give more, I wanted to “top it off”. But nothing money could buy would adequately sum up the gift of the day we had. Therefore, we can only show gratitude and hope for a time that we can host them and all those who hosted our family this weekend. A continuous, beautiful circle of hospitality.
Pinches,
Barb
