luau

as the 2nd counselor in the bishopric, john is responsible for the planning, overseeing, and carrying out of all of our ward activities. about a month ago, he met with a couple of polynesian families in the ward, and together they planned what was to be our next ward function...a luau! last saturday night we were able to see all their planning and hard work come to fruition. the luau was a hit, complete with a roasted pig, tiki torches, polynesian dancers, hawaiian attire, sea shells, and great music from the islands. a nice soft breeze complimented the colorful hues in the sky as the sun fell below the horizon. it was perfect. absolutely perfect. the only thing that would have made it better, was if we could have transported the ocean to the church parking lot. or, better yet, transported the parking lot to the ocean {i could really use a trip to hawaii right about now}.

i thought ruby was breathtaking. i couldn't stop staring at her all night. her cheeks were rosy from being at the pool earlier in the day, and her little blue hawaiian dress {great goodwill find} made her big blue eyes sparkle and pop. such a little beauty. brother and sister schwenke {elfie and eddie...isn't that just the cutest?} did so much of the planning and preparation. elfie and her sister spent a great deal of time on the food {which was very authentic, i might add}. and eddie provided some of the entertainment. the kids were in awe as he demonstrated the art of cracking and de-husking a coconut.
poor little wilbur didn't stand a chancei had to include a few photos of the centerpieces i made. it wasn't easy trying to come up with something on the budget i was given {about a dollar per table}, but i thought they turned out pretty good. the only problem was that perfect breeze i mentioned earlier...turns out it wasn't so perfect for those poor votive candles.

we were watching our nieces and nephews for the weekend so we brought some of them along. too bad we had to be there two hours beforehand for setup. i think they were all luau'd out before the luau had officially begun.

there were about 400 in attendance, which was probably more than we've ever had at a ward function.

the koloamatongi's in our ward {sister tina koloamatongi is pictured above in the bottom right photo. she is at the far right} did so much to make this happen...from the food, to the entertainment, and everything in between. their tongan ward was dissolved a few months back, so they started attending our ward. it was so much fun getting them involved and being about to share in some of their culture. they are an amazing family.

here's a little peek at the night's entertainment...

in short, it was great food,
great entertainment,
great weather,
and great company.

so, great job on your first activity, john.

and to everyone else, get ready to trade in those lava-lavas and moo-moos for cowboy boots and bolo ties,
because next up: it's a hoe-down he'll be throwin' down.
yee-haw!