The idea to host a BME/IAM barbecue wasn't actually my idea. Morgan came up the stairs one day and asked Marc (our pseudo-landlord), if it would be okay if we had a party at the Radhaus. Marc asked for an estimate of the number of attendees, and approved, much to my surprise.
At A Glance Author VykyLicious Contact VykyLicious@bme.anon IAM tanked*n*pogoed When A week ago Studio My Back Yard Location Edmonton, Alberta Later that day, when I asked Morgan what the occasion was, he asked if I would be willing to help him host a BME/IAM barbeque... I agreed automatically and got really excited about it. Preparations were to begin right away.
First on the list was to decide on the day of the party... We figured that May long weekend wasn't a good idea, as lots of people go out of town to go camping and whatnot. So we decided on the Saturday, May 29. The Saturday following the long weekend.
Having the date set, Morgan put a post on the BME events section to advertise our shindig. As soon as the event was posted, I confirmed my attendance, as it was at MY house and all. We figured that the turnout wouldn't end up being too extreme, as many of the IAM users in Edmonton have expired pages, but to boost up our chances of having a rad time, Morgan broadcasted a message to all the Edmonton users the details of the Barbeque.
Fast forward two weeks later... I'm getting really excited, as there were allready 20 confirmed attendees, some of which are people I know and associate with on a regular basis, like my best friend Jeannie, Ryan and Marky(who might as well live at our house, he spends so much time here). Also confirmed were a whole bunch of people I had never met before, whom I was excited to meet.
The day before the barbeque, Morgan and I decided what we were going to prepare for snacks and whatnot. Morgan's plan was to make the palate-pleasing Chocolate Berry Cake, vegan of course to cater to many of our guests, and I was planning to make hummus and pita chips. We also had set up a fire-pit to roast other goodies over... We made sure that we had sufficient seating and enough toilet paper to last for the evening, and then it was off to bed.. We had a long day ahead of us.
Barbeque Day!!!
I rolled out of bed about noon, came up the stairs to find Morgan already busy in the kitchen. I cleared some space off to prepare my hummus and pita chips, then looked out the window...RAIN!!!! No fair!!! No problem though.. Morgan had cleaned out the garage in preparation for this. I finished with the hummus, set it aside, and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon... Our guests were going to start arriving at about 6:00.At about 6:00, I ended up going to the mall with Chris to pick up a movie. On our walk home through the alley, a car splashed me, making me somewhat irate. upon my arrival home, Heather and Christinewere allready there. Heather applogized for splashing me when she drove by. next in was Marky, with Hummus and pita bread. For the next hour, nobody seemed to be arriving, until about 7:30 or so when Nicole and Evan showed up... Over the next hour or so, people trickled in, and we moved the party in to the garage. The next to arrive were Nicole and Rhys , bringing with them some amazing stuffed grape leaves and Potato salad.
On the heels of Nicole and Rhys was Dave, bringing with him a container of more Hummus and flatbread.
Everything was going smoothly so far, except the one person who I wanted there more than anybody else hadn't arrived yet, and that was Jeannie. But soon enough she showed up, and by then the party was underway..
The barbeque was fired up, and people were eating, drinking, and being all around merry. As time went by, more and more people started to show up.. The initial awkwardness of meeting mew people seemes to have passed, and everyone was starting to mingle. The late comers were Ryan, Lexci and Britt, but they all showed up eventually.
After meeting all of the aforementioned people, I realized how great of an idea it was to host the barbeque. Everyone who turned up was very nice, and seemed to get along really well. I'm hoping that someone chooses to host another IAM event in the near future, because I hope to get to know them all, not just to be acquainted with them. the have since been suggestions by Christine for a night at the Pool hall, and another by Nicole for a night of bowling. I just hope it actually gets followed through with.
I hope that I conveyed to you all the pros of hosting a BME event.. not only is it a chance to gain exposure to the modified world at large, but I also see it as an opportunity to meet new and great people. All that is required is a bit of space and planning and a few clicks of your mouse to have your event added.. I encourage everyone to host an event, as there isn't much else to do on a rainy Saturday night!!! :)