Ease Into The New Year



Nashville, TN:  Instead of starting the new year with a hangover and a bad memory of the night before, I wanted ease into 2009 with great friends, small brunch-y treats, delicious drinks (including mimosas & bloody marys) and a room filled with 70s soft rock songs to really help us EASE into it!

I invited a few of my most favorite people in Nashville to join me in celebrating the first day of the new year and, true to my word, supplied 109 of my most loved soft rock songs from a few decades before.  Plus, lots of baby quiches and an amazing bacon cheese dip created by my friend, Sheri.


the spread....


the drink specials...


A few of the highlights to my shindig included having people write on my bathroom wall (that is painted with black chalboard paint),


they're used to giving autographs....



totally looks like a bathroom at a dingy club -- LOVE IT!


and the stereotypical bathroom humor (done by a member, of course)...


my art studio turning into a playroom for little people (also known as "kids"),

at one point, there were EIGHT of them in my house!


seeing two people together that I thought were the same person (think Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson),


Warren & Kenny.... or is it Kenny & Warren?


putting my camera down for ONE SECOND,


Go figure -- another band member...


and SEVEN HOURS of 70s love rock songs wafting throughout my home, including these 9 (in '09.... get it?!):

After the Love Has Gone - Earth Wind & Fire
Crazy Love - Poco
Make It With You - Bread
How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
Danny's Song - Anne Murray (tho written by Loggins & Messina)
How Much I Feel - Ambrosia
Nights Are Forever Without You - England Dan & John Ford Coley
Sweet Love - Paul Davis
Private Eyes - Hall & Oates (technically an '80s song but one of the songwriters was at my party, so I felt it was totally appropriate!)


Ok, I have to stop listing songs now because I'm getting choked up just thinking about them!  (Soft rock love songs have that affect on me.)  Of course, the BEST part of the whole day was seeing and spending time (though not enough!) with some of my dearest friends.  I felt so very, very loved.  Each person who took time out of their busy lives to spend a few minutes or hours with me made the first day of the new year simply wonderful.

There's no other way I'd rather start off the new year!