Orn's 50th Birthday Bash!!

What a party it was last night to help Orn make it through the final days before he can legitimately sign up for AARP!! We had about 50 people here at the house to celebrate Orn's 50th! What fun it was! The theme of the party was Mexican - not because of Orn's book on immigration but because I had tomatoes coming out my ears from the garden. We had homemade salsa's and various other dishes to eat throughout the evening, along with various types of cerveza's and wine of course!

It was so much fun for Orn and me to see friends from the Twin Cities and friends from St. Cloud along with most of the Meldahl clan all come together and have a great time getting to know each other! While it turned out to be a spectacular evening it was COLD so we had our outdoor fire pit going all evening out on the patio. Many people braved the cold weather to sit and visit out by the fire. :)

The cake was the hit of the night as far as all the kids were concerned. It was consumed really quickly! We never did have Orn open the many cards and gifts that he received, although the picture that starts this blog was a party theme appropriate gift! Lisa had visited the AARP booth at the Minnesota State Fair and put together quite the collage for Orn! Orn did open that out by the fire before the party ended. Lisa had left by the time Orn opened it, but those that were here enjoyed it immensely. The supplies that Sue and Rob provided for Orn's later years will come in handy some day...no description necessary for those items! My mom and dad gave Orn a beautiful print that he intends to put in his new office over at SCSU, possibly later today. The rest of the cards, wine, etc. were opened on Sunday morning. Orn was very touched by all the warm wishes AND all the wonderful wine, beer, etc.

As Orn said multiple times last night and this morning, "This was the BEST birthday I have ever had!" Thanks so much to everyone who made the evening so very special for him!