The cover of the invitation booklet, printed on a vellum overlay, says “General Sherman burned it to the ground during his great march.  Over 2 million people swarmed it for the 1996 Olympics.  And on June 26-28, it will face its greatest invasion.”  (See, I like hyperbole.)

The next page is the textured Japanese washi paper you see on the left side of the image above.  The next page of the invite, the actual invitation card, was perforated; on the left side is the actual invite and on the right side is a “Battle Plan,” which is a listing of the events hosted by my sister’s various girlfriends.  Along the perforation between the two cards, it says “Tear here for combat.”  I love the disconnect between combat and all the pink.  It cracks me up (and if you can’t make yourself laugh…).  Also, the invite booklet came packaged in a #10 dossier-style envelope, which I think added to the whole “we’re on a combat mission but it will include glitter and giggles” vibe I was going for. The last page of the booklet is my favorite page.  This card, which was also perforated, includes directions to the hotel (titled “Marching Orders”) and a recipe I made up for a tasty beverage (The “Amy-lini,” after my sister’s name, Amy – no, her name isn’t “Lini”).  The drink recipe is basically a peach bellini (after all, we are going to Atlanta) with some cayenne pepper.  Along the perforated edge, it says, “Tear here for sustenance.”  Also, I’m not sure if you can read the bottom, but it says, “Warning: Excessive Consumption of the Amy-Lini may cause giggles and urge to watch a Laguna Beach marathon followed by a nap.”  This line pretty much encapsulates my sister’s entire existence.