Your Parties: Pam Kammeyer, Soup Social

Pam Kammyer from Highlands Ranch, Colorado found my blog and after reading about Jeff and my goal to have all the ward members over during the year have taken a similiar goal upon themselves. Pam and I have been corresponding sharing tips and ideas and I have to say that she is a very excited gal! Here are the details of her soup social.
Invitees: 6 couples and their children
The Kammeyers (hosts Pam and Kurt)
The Nelsons
The Tharpes
The Greaves
The Amasons
The Chamberlins

Party Details written by Pam:
We didn't mind having the kids because they had their own activity/food downstairs. They had homemade mac cheese, a fruit plate, cookies and drinks. Plus there were games: Twister, Chutes and Ladders and two movies. Anna, our granddaughter, took care of the kids and it made it easier for these young couples to join us.

We did invitations using your wording and asking each family to bring something. Then a few days before I checked with everyone via email. They all seemed thrilled to be coming to our home...which is so sweet of them to say.

It was buffet style and then we sat at our table and ate together. Our decor was just our home. I didn't do anything special....next time I will add that into the works. We had two soups: Chicken Chili and Baked Potato....two salads [fruit and green], rolls, and brownies for dessert. Everything was homemade. I wish you could taste the rolls Tanja made.....WOW.. Water was the drink of choice.:) We stole your idea for the crackers with the creme cheese and raspberry topping. Everyone loved them.

People came around 6:30 and the last of them left around 10pm.....are we starving for these socials or what??? We played the game you recommended asking the couples to write down some of their "interesting" experiences. It was so much fun and I honestly thought I was going to die laughing. One couples first date the guy told the girl "Oh you are going to make a wonderful mother"... We found out that one couple went camping in Hawaii for their honeymoon and in Maui after it got dark. The place was infested with cockroaches....another couple only dated 10 days and got married. It was just a scream.

We picked our guest list pretty much around people we don't know very well, except of course our kids and the Greaves. We had a mixture of ages from 60's down to late 20's. I think that alone was really interesting. [the one draw back is one couple thinks we should do this every month and invite them....I guess that wouldn't be at all bad....but I like to mix it up]

Pam's Ideas for future parties:
I have been mulling over a couple of ideas for the next party. First of all, our daughter is having major surgery some time in Feb so we want to work around that. I thought about doing an indoor BBQ making beef brisket and making the BBQ sauce..and the rolls..then having others bring fruit, salads etc. I can do the beef the day before and shred it and heat it back up in a crock pot. I might follow your lead on the Valentines party. Hadn't thought of that one....so keep me posted. I want to do the mystery party in April.

Pam wants you to know:
Be sure and mention on your blog the inspiration you are to me. Maggie I feel like we are kindred spirits.....thank you so much. I really mean it.