Go, Eagles!

Some came for the food.  Some came for the company.  Some came for the witty TV ads. And a few actually came for the football game.  Dave and I held a Superbowl party on Sunday, February 8, 2018, for Janice's  family, Alan and Shauna, Mike and Heidi, and the Flindt kids from BYU.  Lots of things are going on in the photo above besides football--chess, internet surfing, and aimless gazing.  The one guest who was a rapt game-watcher was Janice's husband, Mark McGrady.  Mark loves football so much that he proposed to Janice on the BYU football field before a game, as thousands of fans watched!

Food is a big part of a Superbowl party--the greasier, spicier, and more laden with calories the better!  True Superbowl cooks concoct meals in the shape of footballs or even stadiums like the one above, filled with Superbowl snacks.  I settled for barbecued ribs, wings (actually drumsticks) in hot sauce, seven layer dip, and root beer floats.  A green salad was a feeble afterthought!

The Eagles beat the Patriots in an upset.  Most of our crowd was cheering the underdog, and so was very happy.  The Patriots have won for the past few years.  We sympathized, though, with Jono and Ezra Ebert, who have adored the Patriots ever since the Eberts lived for five years in Boston.

It was a treat to have Daniel Moreland, the son of Dave's sister Janice, and his wife, Chelsea, join us.  Daniel and Chelsea just moved to SLC from Houston.  Daniel is a chef.  He managed a high end pizza place in Texas and now runs the popular Proper Burger in SLC.  Daniel puts together the gourmet specials.  I hesitate to feed someone who cooks for a living, but Janice and Daniel were both gracious.  Janice even praised my barbecued ribs.  "Hearing that from a former Texan, I'm very flattered," I said.

Chelsea has a science background and works with a pharmaceutical company here in SLC.  She and chemist Naomi had lots to talk about.

It was also a treat to host Janice's son, Ben, and his wife, Brittany.  Ben creates code for a software company, and Brittany has an MBA and does health care consulting.  Janice enjoyed just having Mark next to her--for the first six months of their marriage, he was an air traffic controller in Afghanistan.

Some football, and a lot of family--that makes a happy time for David.

Kirsten is the "mom" of her family home evening group at BYU.  She invited members of the group to come with her to Grandma's house, and four of them took her up on it.  We loved to see Cassie, Kirsten's roommate.

Kirsten and all four of her guests are studying to be scientists.  Kirsten is in microbiology, and the others are biologists and physicists.

Kirsten and her friends laughed, talked, and relaxed in our downstairs family room.

I broke out the red checked tablecloths and napkins for this folksy, all-American party.  The football was fine, but I was there for the friends, food, and, yes, the flowers!