[ Reverb10 : Day 9 : Party ]

Day 9. Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

Bearing in mind that this year's round of Christmas Parties isn't over yet, the best party of the year for me would have to be the Awesome People's Night In. It's a party with a story. My friend wanted to host an event for the Girls' Night In, an annual initiative to raise money for breast cancer. But she didn't want the boys to be left out. They wanted to help breasts as well! Which is fair enough; she modified the concept slightly so everyone could be included.

People were asked to bring as much money as they wanted to, in coin form. There was a raffle, and games to play - for a fee. There was also a Swear Jar - presided over by our 10-year-old guest. Apparently he made a lot of money in the Poker room.

Many of the lovely people brought delicious food. My favourite were the retro asparagus wraps. I ate and drank a little, but not too much. That's always a good sign that I'm enjoying a party, as I don't feel the need to fill in the time by eating, or working up my confidence by drinking.

There were four games - Jenga in the lounge, Twister in the hallway, Rock Band in the study and Poker in the spare room. I started out playing Jenga, and I won two games! That meant I got to choose two books from the huge stack in the corner. I was very excited.

I stopped playing Jenga after that as I thought it would only be fair to let others have a chance. Not that I'm a Jenga whiz or anything - it was mostly luck. I spent some time chatting with some people I don't see often enough. I felt really good about everything: everyone there I had met at least once before, and that helps me to feel comfortable.

When the chatting drifted away, I went to find some more adventure. I joined in the Rock Band in the study. I had never played before. I love playing the drums! I also sang a bit too. I had a most lovely time! Every now and then there were squeals of delight from the Twister players and uproar from the Poker players. Everyone in the house was having fun. The atmosphere was so uplifting!

By the end of the night, quite a few people still had some coins left, so we stood around the Swear Jar cursing and putting money in. I'm sure Mr. 10-year-old had heard them all before, really.

When the raffle was drawn, I won one of the prizes! It was as if the stars aligned this evening and I was meant to have the best time possible. The book stack was still high by the end of the evening and I was allowed to take as many as I wanted. I managed to restrain myself and only took 8. Gosh, I was excited, though!

I had the best night ever!