Friday Free For All–Retirement Party

We’ve had three good friends retire from the Army so far this summer; these are always bittersweet events for everyone involved.  It’s a loss to the entire nation when we don’t retain mature officers and soldiers, but of course they’re entitled to a well-deserved break from years of deployments and family separations.  Many of them are getting to actually CHOOSE where to live for the first time in their careers (I’m so jealous!) and are able to stabilize their children for those last important years of high school.

We headed down to Savannah over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Scott’s retirement with family and friends.  Scott and Becky lived next door to us when we were stationed in Savannah and they are some of our favorite people in the entire universe, so of course we had to be there for this big event.  Because they’re from Texas and never do anything small, they were also celebrating their son’s high school graduation that weekend (go big or go home!), so Becky planned a party to honor both of them.

Taven had already left the hangar to get ready for his graduation ceremony, so this is everyone but him.  My son cannot take a normal picture but I’m hoping this will pass with the teenage years. 🙂

|  Annabelle’s Lilly dress  |

I helped Becky set up for the party.  She and I share a love of decorating and entertaining; it was so fun when we lived next to each other and could borrow each others’ decorations and serving pieces.  I brought a carload of stuff with me, as did our friend, Mary, who drove down from Tennessee.

|  Happy Retirement Banner (similar)  |

It was a pretty miserable weekend, weather-wise, but the rain held off long enough that we could keep most of the guests outside.  Cornhole is an integral part of all Army celebrations, and tonight was no exception:

My husband served as bartender and mixed his famous mojitos {that recipe is here} for several hundred guests.  I ran for ice and limes and served as his bar-back, although he didn’t share his tips with me!

|  Black and white paper straws  |  Grad napkins: HomeGoods  |  Galvanized metal tray  |

As someone whose sugar cookies always turn out looking like “Pinterest fails,” I can’t help but be impressed with these gorgeous Army and graduation-themed sweets.  Becky’s sister ordered them in Texas and carried them to Savannah on her lap.

| Galvanized 3-tier stand  | Apothecary jars: HomeGoods  |

They had Zunzi’s cater the meal–if you go to Savannah, you MUST grab a sandwich there, and be sure to ask them to put their “Sh*t-yeah” sauce on it.  It might have a less profane name, but I’m not aware of it.

My chip rack made an appearance because everyone loves the chip rack.  At least, those of us with a touch of OCD love the chip rack.  Everyone else is just a hater.

| Chip rack |

We used lengths of burlap to cover the table; it paired well with the rustic look of the galvanized serving pieces.

| Wood lanterns here and here  |

It was such a fun weekend, and a fitting send off for our friends!

Folks in Savannah know how to throw a party; you can read more of my Savannah posts {here}.