Lu-Palooza

My sister's 23rd birthday and graduation. My acceptance to dental school.

3 milestones.

Best way to celebrate? With family, friends, and tons of good food.

Korean kalbi beef short ribs, bbq pork ribs, baslamic glazed chicken breasts, grilled asparagus and zucchini, bratwursts, polish sausages, grilled corn, s'mores, watermelon, chocolate drizzled strawberries, pound cake, and 3 ice cream cakes. NOMS!

Earlier in the day, we said our goodbyes to a dear friend of ours. Although it was a very somber day, the best way we could honor his memory was to live our lives to the fullest and appreciate what we all have in front of us. One of my favorite status updates of the day was simple and sweet:

"Live life to the fullest. Cherish those that bring you happiness. Help those who are in need. Learn from your mistakes. Brush your teeth." 

I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you to everyone who made it out to our event. Thank you to everyone who stopped by. Thank you to the people who brought cards or gifts. Those gestures were completely unexpected but warmly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who brought food or drinks. Thank you to everyone who stopped me as I was running around on my "host high" and asked if I needed help with anything. Thank you to everyone who wished me a heartfelt congratulations. I wish I could have spent oh so much more time with each and everyone of you. You all make my heart sing and I wouldn't be the man I am today without any of you.

Special shout outs go to Harrison, John, Daniel, Kevin, Sarah, Dom, and Michelle for helping out behind the scenes. Couldn't have pulled it off without you.

It's a brilliant thing when a group of people are able to come together and share these great wonderful memories with one another. And the food. Oh my gosh, the food! I have absolutely no leftovers which has never happened at one of my cookouts before. Best compliment to the chef. More than anything, I hope everyone had a wonderful time, enjoyed the festivities, and left with bulging food babies. Judging by the caliber of the company last night, my sister and I are very very fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

So what's next? How are we going to top it? paLUza? LU-Palooza 2: Electric BoogaLU?