My last summer hurrah was going to South Carolina for the weekend to visit my old college buddy, Jessie and her family. She had spent an entire year crafting and planning a incredibly detailed birthday celebration for her son, Silas. (Turning 11. Of course.) She had been texting me pictures of her crafting treasures throughout the year and I would literally gasp when I saw how amazing her owl-post vignette looked or how realistic her potion supply bottles were turning out. I was beyond thrilled when she invited me to come for the party. And I immediately bit the bullet and bought the Professor McGonagall costume I had been eying online. (Dress like a story-book character day was coming up at school after all!)
The actual party and weekend festivities were amazing. Siriusly, amazing. The decorations were lavish and totally on point. The detail left me speechless. Jessie had even made an escape room in her house that myself and her family solved the night before the birthday that included a bezoar in a potion, logic puzzles, magnetic shavings covering a portrait, and 15 other clever puzzles/tricks/HP trivia that was so very fun.
But I think my very favorite part about the entire weekend was seeing Jessie's people and the way the all absolutely love her. I heard Jessie's husband bragging about her to his brother and dad and I about died. Over a decade in and it's clear he is still so incredibly smitten with her. He was the perfect right hand man for the weekend and didn't bat an eye over his to-do, so trusting is he in his wife's vision. (For example, the to-do list might be: vacuum before guests arrive, put out lettuce on porch for care of magical creatures, find something to hang the spider from the tree with, then come in to make sure the bangers and mash go in the oven on time, and he just happily nods.)
Then there was Jessie's father-in-law, who literally cried, saying what a good mom Jessie is. (I also teared up at that one and had to leave the room with some fast blinks.) He also went on to say that he had made sure he and his wife had watched every movie before coming to the party and they spent the previous 8 nights doing so. Jessie's brother Trevor was also there, who I remember from when he was 6-9ish and now is in his mid to late 20s. He was a delight and clearly was happy to partaking. He said he kept texting his friends back in Missouri pictures of the party and they were in awe as well. Then there was literally 20 other people there- cousins, aunts, uncles, and a niece. None of these people live in Jessie's town, mind you. They all drove, flew, whatever to be there. It made my heart so full to see all these people loving Jessie and her family so dearly.
Prepping for Quidditch
Rory working on Ron's flying car.
