We had our first bonfire this past weekend and I would say it was a success. There were about 60 people here of all ages. The kids roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, jumped/ran/slid in the bounce house, played spotlight and had a wonderful time. The adults enjoyed the fire, watched football and visited with friends.It does my heart good to have a house full of people. It is almost therapy to me! It is not stressful at all. I enjoy the company. I enjoy cooking for everyone. I enjoy the friendships.
I get it very naturally, from both sides of my family. My maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother are the ones who passed these genes along to me. On Thanksgiving, my mom's dad, Grandpa Ford, was known to go to the military base near Memphis and bring home guys who couldn't be with their family. With all of the family we have and the extras that would come, there was usually more than 30 people at Thanksgiving. There have been recent years when we have been back in Memphis at my Aunt Nicki and Uncle Kenny's for Thanksgiving when there was 70+ people. (Of course, no one person did all the cooking. We all love to cook and pitch in for a fabulous meal!)
My dad's mom, Memaw, loves for her house to be full. And her house is truly full of love. She grew up in a house (which she lives in now) that many people were always in and out of. Her mom fed the farm hands daily and she and her twin sister were the youngest of 11 kids. It was a house with a open door to the whole community.
My parents followed along with these ways, also. There was always a reason for a party! There was everything from Halloween parties (complete with a haunted house in the garage) to cooking a whole hog and feeding 100 people. The times we cooked pigs, were parties that lasted all weekend. For those who have ever participated in that, you know that the cooking of the pig is the actual party. By the time the pig was done, the party was all but over!
Pot 'o chili keeping warm on the fire
Maggie and Maddie toasting marshmallows
With a house full of people the norm as I grew up, it was literally a house with an open door. I think the only key, to the house we moved into when I was a freshman in high school, was left in the lock on the inside of the door and the only time it was locked was when everyone was in for the night. With my parents having kids in high school for 12 consecutive years, there were always friends and family coming and going. It was the place to be in the summer, because we would always be in the pool. In the winter, we would turn the garage into our hangout. In the last several years they sold that house in Yorktown Subdivision (in Franklin). We laughed as they were moving out, wondering who we had forgotten to tell that they moved. Who would be the first to go to the door and just walk in (as everyone did)?
Will tending the fire. He kept us all warm and fed with the fire blazing!After growing up with an open door policy, that is basically all I know! There have been many times in the last several years we have wanted to have "get togethers", but couldn't because we didn't have the space (60 people in 1100 sq ft would be a little insane!). Now that we have a place inside and out to have friends and family over, I sure hope we continue to take advantage of it. I love seeing a kitchen full of friends enjoying each other's company and kids running around laughing and giggling. Life is good!
Plans for New Years anyone?
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