"Deadly Ever After"

...a handful of Fairy Tale and Fictional characters were invited to a dinner party at Kiefer Manor. Upon arrival, Sherlock Holmes announced that the lovely Scheherazade (former wife of the Arabian sultan, and from hence forth referred to as "She-daisy" because no one seemed able to pronounce her name otherwise!) was found poisoned to death. With whispered rumors floating around all evening, mingled with secrets and lies, it appeared that the murderous culprit was present and needed to be caught. But with so many people wandering the manor, how would they ever get all the information to figure out

WHO DUNNIT?

Could it have been...

ALICE? -- who likes to pretend that she knows more than she does. She enjoys being the center of attention. She often acts without thinking. 

PRINCE CHARMING? -- who sees himself as responsible for making that special woman feel like his princess. He is now a successful shoe designer and one day will inherit his family's fashion kingdom.

RAPUNZEL? -- who is now a hairdresser for all the famous characters. She is very vain and is terrified of heights.

WICKED WITCH? -- who does not make friends easily. She knows a great deal of magic and is terrified of water.

SHERLOCK HOLMES? --who is well aware of his reputation as a great detective. He is honest and determined to discover the culprit. His intelligence is enormous and so is his ego.

 JOHN SILVER? -- who is the famous pirate, of course. He prefers action over talk and is unafraid of danger.

JULIET? -- who grew up in an aristocratic family and has never had the freedom to go or do what she wishes. She is capable of amazing courage and would trust her entire life and future to her true love.

The MAD HATTER? --who is famous for designing men and women's hats. He adores to drink tea and tell riddles.

SNOW WHITE? -- who is a believer in true love and knows that someday her prince will come. She can be jealous and has learned many of her stepmother's evil spells. She is very fond of her looks. 

RED RIDING HOOD? --who lives with her grandmother in the woods. She is sweet and trusting - maybe too trusting.

ROBIN HOOD? -- who is brave and true even though he is an outlaw. He is the strong, silent type and is fiercely loyal to his friends.

KATHERINE? --who is a firm believer in women's rights. She mistrusts all men and is not the easiest person to get along with. Her strong opinions have gotten her into trouble in the past. ("The Taming of the Shrew")

The COUNT? -- who, beneath a veneer of aristocratic charm, possesses a dark soul. Women are drawn to him, men find him charming. 

 WHO COULD IT HAVE BEEN?

Only after the finest night of wining and dining, games, prizes, and laughter would the true murderer be discovered...

SETTING UP THE PARTY

Months ago at a "girlz night", the law school wives/friends decided we needed to throw one of these murder-mystery parties to celebrate the third and final year of law school! Brittany Bayles and I organized it, but we couldn't have done it without every one's help! Sadly, we asked for a five dollar entrance fee to this exclusive party to pay for the game, and then each guest also brought an assigned food/drink item. So with the joint effort, the party was hilariously fun and the food delicious!

The party was held at my dad's condo, and Brittany and I did our best to create a "magical" atmosphere. It definitely had a wedding feel to it with all the white lights draped over furniture, trees, curtain rods; lit candles of various sizes; marbled jars; fairy-tale books; fancy dishware and draping shear material from the ceiling. Pictures couldn't quite capture the glow of the living room, except for the following two pictures:

MAKING MEMORIES (and some pretty awesome pictures!)

Upon arrival, everyone had to pose in character on the red-carpet, as you saw earlier from the "Who Dunnit?" mug shots. We started with appetizers (yummy chips 'n dip; bruschetta on baguettes; and veggie tray) and the first round of clues, which required certain actions to be taken or statements to be made regarding the murder and the guests' involvements.

By dinner time and the second round of clues, the fairy tale characters had truly gotten each other riled up with accusations and rumors. A certain belligerent, drunk pirate maintained center stage -- next to "Katherine", who often attempted to put "John Silver" in his place! But nothing would shut him up, unfortunately, so in the middle of nowhere, we'd all hear, "Argh, you dirty sea-wench!" or other such pleasantries spouting from his mouth in his pirate/leaning-Irish accent! Good thing dinner was delicious, consisting of Chicken Cordon Bleu, Zuppa Toscana soup, rice pilaf, and broccoli salad.

To allow time for digestion before dessert, we played a riotous game of Musical Chairs! (Brittany and I decided you're never too old for it, and it seems we were right!)

 What started off as harmless fun quickly became intense and violent! I guess 13 people squished in a living room, trying to find an empty seat will do that to you...

 "John Silver" was the first one to lose, so he manned the music (Pandora radio playing Disney music all night long!), while he danced in the center of our rotating circle.

 Of course, he couldn't help but steal the "Wicked Witch's" hand for a quick twirl or two. (Even unscripted, he couldn't resist me!)

 Uh... this is what I meant when I suggested it was became a little cut-throat. There was lots of pushing and tumbling happening.

 Despite a hard fight during the final round, the "Wicked Witch" never really stood a chance against "Robin Hood". (or the OGRE, as "John Silver" referred to him as. He really is absolutely huge!) I fell -- or was booty-bumped -- right off the seat!

With dinner nicely jostled, we enjoyed dessert just before we completed the solution-round and guessed who the murderer was. Only a couple people got it right, and with all the confusing information floating around, it was no surprise that there were many suspects!

 Of course, I can't really tell you WHO DUNNIT, in case you ever borrow this game. All you really need to know is:

Even despite being a bunch of misfits.

Erica & Dan; Brittany & Scott; Heather & Kirk

Nate'; Nathan & DaNae; Brittany & Mike (and "baby", due in a couple months!); Kelley & Elias

THE END