remembering titanic

April 14, 1912: The Titanic hit an iceberg at approximately 11:40pm, and sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 2:20am, on April 15, 1912. Almost 98 years later...

...on Saturday, April 10, 2010, the boys and I were eating breakfast, when Ben suddenly sat up straight with a start and exclaimed, "Mom! Today the Titanic left England. We need to have a celebration at noon!!" After I explained time zones, that it was well past noon in England, blah, blah, blah, he slumped back down in his chair a wee bit disappointed. I had to think quickly, so before I knew it I told Ben, "I think we need to have a celebration on the day it hits the iceberg." He and Jake immediately lit up, and a celebration was in the works.

I spent the next few days scouring the internet for ideas for a Titanic party, and then ran all over town to find supplies, only to be disappointed by the limited selection, but I did manage to find a few things to decorate with. On Wednesday, April 14, 2010, while Ben was at scouts and the twins were playing at Danielle's (Daren was at the fire station), I set up the ship with portholes and our best china (some of which, like the Titanic, had never been used before this day). When they all came home, I told them to change into their best clothes because we were going to a party.

When the boys came upstairs, they were met by me, the ship's waitress (dressed in all-black with a white apron), who told them they were going to dinner on the Titanic. Everyone's eyes grew huge and they ran to find their seats.


Just before dinner started, I looked over to the timer and saw that the rice was almost done and then *zap* the power went out. We waited and waited and nothing. We had to nix a couple of the courses, but still ended up with a great dinner. I have no experience as a waitress, but I have eaten out enough times to know what it takes to make a good one, and I made sure the boys had plenty of food, drinks, and checked often with them to see if they needed anything. Ben told me later that he LOVED it when I talked to them like that--"Do you need anything else, sir?"


I did my best to make Titanic cupcakes for dessert, and they seemed to turn out ok. I had plans to read Titanic books after dinner, but we had to spend our time scouring the house for flashlights and lanterns. When we finally found them all, the power came back on, of course, and then it was time for bed. Even with the power out for over two hours, the party was a success. I already have plans for a big party in a couple years for the centennial anniversary of the Titanic sinking, so I'd better get started now.