How Patio Lights Can Transform Your Backyard
It may sound like a silly thing, to dream of patio lights, but we did. We dreamt of the lights to brighten a patio of our own. Years of apartment living had passed without home ownership. The very thought buying our first house was a distant rumor. Then, finally, after many years of careful planning and saving, the day came. We were about to leave the rental life behind and take the plunge into the biggest investment of our lives.
The house was small, affordable. Even with our savings, extravagance was out of the question. A simple three bedroom home in a modest middle-income neighborhood was the item du jour. Still, the humble home was a palace in our eyes. It was our Taj Mahal, our blue collar Buckingham Palace. We had a home, a patio and a yard for the patio to overlook.
Decorating our home fell on my shoulders as the woman of the house and, as clichéd as it may be; I loved every minute of it. I poured over home decorating magazines, watched endless home design shows and consulted every book in the library on the subject. Every detail, every inch of our home had to be perfect.
After the moving dust settled, we decided to throw a party for our friends, family and new neighbors with the idea of breaking in our new home. I shopped and planned for the summer evening get together with gusto. The theme was, of course, Hawaiian but the lights I chose were unique. In a home décor shop nestled in the historic district, I found several large, lovely glass orbs complete with pedestals. Borrowing an idea from a show I had seen, I placed string lights in the opaque, glass spheres. Their glow was warm and inviting—perfect for our house warming party!
To add to the patio lights, I grabbed some solar lights and arranged them around the edges of the back yard to illuminate our modest flower beds and make more use of the yard. I spent the day installing the lights, preparing food, setting out tables and hanging various Luau-themed streamers and other items with joy in my heart. I was finally sharing my new home with my loved-ones. I was filled with pride.
The party itself was a blast. Children ran around the yard while the adults mingled. We played a few party games—even limbo and I think I may still have those Capri's with the grass stains to prove it! We were complimented on our home, the food, and our wonderful patio and yard. It was a wonderful night.
Even though several years have passed, I can still feel the affection that filled every corner of our patio on the night of our first party. I can remember the joy and relief stemming from the knowledge that we now had a place to call our own. I can even feel the warmth emanating from the glow of the patio lights I set out on our very first patio.