It’s a party!!! For Mother’s Day, my daughter had to fill out a survey about me. One of the questions was, “What does your Mom like to do?” Laila’s answer was, “Throw parties.” She knows me SO well! I’ve always had an affinity for celebrating any happy occasion, big or small. As a child, my Mom would make everything extra special for us, which didn’t always mean fancy and extravagant, but she put a lot of thought into every detail and making sure everyone had everything they needed and was having a great time. I have the most wonderful memories of visiting my family in The Netherlands and having an Indonesian feast with every family member and their close friends nearby.
I can vividly remember sitting with my late grandfather to skewer the satay while my cousin would get the little grills going (there were two, and I still need to understand the process of this perfection) and my aunt would be in the kitchen preparing more food with so many helping hands. All of the gatherings on the Persian side of my family were always so abundant in food, libations, decor, laughter, and dancing; the food truly seems never-ending, is beautiful, and is delicious. I loved seeing the pride my family members had in hosting their loved ones and always making it memorable and special.
There truly is an art to hosting and decorating. I can confidently say that hosting and throwing parties is one form of art that I actually thrive at; don’t ask me to draw or paint anything because it will stress me out and will translate into a subpar “thing” I am trying to create. Listen, that’s not even a self-loathing statement; that’s facts. Back to what I love to do… My love for parties stems from a combination of what I experienced growing up, along with finding joy in the details that spoke to me wherever I would go, being involved and holding various positions in different organizations in high school, interning and working for KDF, working in events at Churchill Downs, traveling, attending countless events, and picking up on all of it.
The last few years were difficult for everyone, and aside from my comfort and happiness stemming from my daughter, I jumped at any opportunity I could do something special. My first quarantine bubble “extravaganza” was the Trolls World Tour premiere watching party at home for my daughter and her cousin. I set up a table and made pretty cupcakes, candy melt-covered pretzels that looked like flowers and butterflies, ordered matching Trolls World Tour pajamas, and got the colorful popcorn containers out. We had a blast, and I’m glad to be able to pass on the love of parties and gatherings from my childhood to hers.
