First Birthday Party

Surprise! Bet you were expecting pictures of a toddler. My siblings and I gave my mom a birthday party for her 75th birthday. It was a huge success, and she loved it. When it was done, she told us we would never know how much the day meant to her; because this was the first birthday party she'd ever had. That brought a few tears among the sisters. Can you imagine living to be 75 and never having had a birthday party?!?!? My grandmother tried to host a birthday party for mom's 10th birthday. But a neighbor girl went to school and invited the entire class. This was during World War II when my grandfather was away at war. The family had $25 to live on for the month, so there wasn't enough money to have everyone over. The party had to be cancelled.

We were fortunate to be able to have the party in a Victorian home in Texas City, my home town. It was a beautiful setting (and meant we didn't have to do a lot of decorating). More than 50 of Mom's friends stopped by to wish her well. Mom knew about the party but didn't know exactly what we were doing. We arranged for her to arrive a few minutes before the guests began coming so she could see the cake and table decorations and we could enjoy her reaction.

The cake served as the centerpiece and was spectacular. My sister, Diane, found a baker on Craig's List. Diane wanted the cake to represent things in Mom's life. The baker did an excellent job--and even drove over an hour to get the cake to the party. Each layer was a different delicious flavor. The bottom layer is a suitcase. Mom loves to travel. Three dice were resting on the suitcase. Mom has played Bunco for 47 years and is a charter member of her club. Dots on the dice added to 75. The top layer is a red hat. Mom has been queen of her red hat group since it began, and she loves the monthly activities. Diane and my sister-in-law, Lynn, did a great job of capturing the essence of mom--lots of fun, world traveler, loyal, and a wonderful friend.

For the table, we took a long length of ribbon and tied a knot for every decade of Mom's life. The ribbon wound around the table. Starting on one end to represent 1934, we placed replicas of things that had been invented or happened during Mom's lifetime along with pictures of her in the appropriate decade. Then, each child added something to represent a special connection between them and Mom. For example, the first overseas trip Mom made was with my dad to Germany in 1988 to visit Tommy and I when we were stationed there. I put the hat my dad bought while there and a picture of the three of us at one of the places we visited on the table. The table and the cake were huge hits!!

The next day we had a family gathering at my brother's house. He loves to cook on the grill and prepared racks of ribs, sausages, and brisket. Good friends brought potato salad and deviled eggs. Actually, several people brought deviled eggs. We had four or five dozen. I can assure you none went to waste. More than 30 people came by to visit and eat. There was birthday cake from the party for dessert.

A wonderful celebration for a wonderful mom!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The End of an Era

My brother and sister-in-law recently bought a new house in Santa Fe, Texas. It is large enough that my mom moved in with them. With their move from Texas City, all my ties to my home town are now gone. Don't feel too bad for me. Santa Fe is only 14 miles from Texas City, so it's not like I can't go back--there's just no reason for me to go. Feels just a bit like I've abandoned a friend.

Texas City sits between Houston and Galveston on Interstate 45. It's not really a town you drive through. You have to exit the freeway and make the effort to drive into town. It's a port and the southern end of town is lined with refineries. It used to be home to one of only two tin smelters in the world. Fishing and water sports are big. Every summer the city celebrates Tackle Time, a type of fishing rodeo, that culminates on July 4th with a fireworks show over the water. It was a big deal to drive out on the dike, a man-made peninsula that jutted five miles into Galveston Bay, to see who was winning in the rodeo and see the biggest shark or stingray hanging on the scaffolding. (However, it was wise to keep the windows rolled up in the car. Dead fish and warm temperatures don't mix well.) Unfortunately, Hurricane Ike destroyed the dike.

Not much has changed in the city since I moved away more than 30 years ago. The restaurants have changed names, but the buildings are the same. The only high school looks exactly as it did when I graduated in 1972--although work began this summer on a new school building. The entire town celebrates Friday night football games. Palmer Highway is still the main street in town, and it only takes 10 minutes to drive from one end to the other. Residents still drive to Houston to shop. Although most have changed hands, the refineries still line the edge of town. Shipley's Do-nuts still makes the best chocolate filled donuts you've ever tasted.

I think it's that constancy and familiarity that I will miss. I may have to borrow Mom's car and drive back every once in a while just to make sure all is where it should be.

Home again, home again; jiggity jig....

My mom used to say that whenever we'd been out running errands or away from the house for most of the day. Recently, I was with her and quoted her line when we pulled into the garage. She told me the rest of the rhyme goes,"Off to the market to look for a pig; Home again, home again, jiggity jig." Don't know about the looking for a pig part, but I am definitely glad to be home again after a busy month.

You've seen the post about the girlfriends' visit to Seattle. The weekend after that I traveled to Hurricane, Utah for a staff retreat. (It's not pronounced like the storm, but "her ih cun" with the emphasis on the first syllable.) Hurricane is in southern Utah about 15 miles north of St. George in what is known as Utah's Dixie. It's a beautiful setting in the red rock country. My boss co-owns a home there, and the entire staff and their spouses travel down for a weekend of planning, fellowship, and fun. We get a lot done. But, it's also a lot of time on the road--five hours each way. Although, we do have fun on the drive as well. Last year we discovered one of our employees is a whiz at TV sitcom jingles. And you thought full-time Christian work was always serious! :) And we bring enough snacks to feed an army for weeks. You know how Baptists are when it comes to eating. :)

The following Thursday, I flew to Texas to help my mom pack to move. My brother and sister-in-law bought a house big enough for all three of them to live in comfortably, so the whole crew moved last Saturday. My sisters and I came to help mom get ready for the movers. Hooray for not having to move everything!! Packing was tiring enough. We didn't get finished by Sunday, so I stayed until Wednesday. We got mom completely packed and had time for some fun--Sunday breakfast with mom and the siblings at IHOP, Whataburgers for dinner at my brother's, and a quick trip with my mom's girlfriends to Coldwater Creek. Those ladies can shop!!

In case you're having trouble following when I was gone and when I was home, I was gone August 6-9, 14-16, and 20-26. I love to travel but I was REALLY glad to be home.

It gave me a new appreciation for what Tommy goes through every week as a pilot. A few days at home followed by a few days on the road--sleeping in a different bed each night and eating every meal out (assuming there's a restaurant open at 4 a.m. or midnight). Often adjusting to a new time zone multiple times in one day. Coming home and trying to catch up on what needs to be done here. Missing family. Yet, he does it with a smile on his face and a love for what he does. Thanks, Tommy. You're the best!

Girlfriend's Getaway!

The girlfriends flew to Seattle last weekend for a much needed get away. My dear daughter played tour guide, host, and taxi driver for four crazy ladies. She may never be the same. :)

We toured the Pike's Market where Chris bought fresh flowers--something she's always wanted to do there but never had a place to put them. Lindsay gladly gave them a home. We watched the fish fly, sampled fresh fruit and donuts, and visited the gum wall. Who knew, with all the wonderful things to do and see in Seattle, that a place where thousands of people have stuck their gum to the wall is the most visited site. And, how in the world did that get started?

A night on the town was next. Little black dresses and heels came out of the suitcases. We watched the sun set and the moon rise while slowly circling the top of the space needle. Gorgeous!

Of course, there's always shopping on a girlfriend trip. We hit the outlet mall in Marysville where Linda scored the best deals of the day--three pairs of pants from Coldwater Creek for only $9.99 each. But, we all found something to take home. Lindsay had great fun listening to us try to pronounce local city names. Can you say, Mukilteo, Tulalip, Puyallup, or Sammamish correctly?

Saturday had us bundling up for a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and a yummy breakfast. On the way over, the boat captain brought the ferry to a complete stop for a memorial service. First time I'd ever seen ashes scattered at sea. They were actually encased in a large clear envelope. It was quite moving to be a part of it even though none of us knew the family. Then we traveled from Bainbridge to Seattle by ferry--one of the most scenic ferry rides in the area. A stroll through the souvenir shops for t-shirts and some time sitting outside Starbucks (where else in Seattle would you go for coffee) people watching completed the day.

Although the sight-seeing and meals and shopping are fun, the best part of a girlfriend's trip is the laughter! Just what we always need to forget the stresses of everyday life and prepare us to return to work and family until the next time.

I love my girlfriends. Missed you Penny. Thanks again, Lindsay.

In the woods....

We are blessed to live five minutes from town but have the feel of living in the country. We have the center lot of a cul de sac, which gives us extra room on each side and a pie-shaped backyard. Much of our yard is also wooded. The lot behind us is seven acres, but the owner built on the far side of the lot and left what's between us wooded. There's a creek running about a hundred yards from the house. It's so peaceful. I love sitting on the back patio or in the hot tub listening to the creek run.

One of my favorite things is the animals we have wander through the yard. There's a small herd of deer living in the woods. They wander through our yard at all times of the day. Just this morning, a young buck crossed the yard on his way to drink from the creek. Last week twin fawns came down to taste the ivy. Mom was keeping an eye on them from the other side of the yard. We usually see at least one set of twin fawns every year.

In addition to the deer, there are Califonia quail, skunks, an occasional fox, and racoons. They all provide great entertainment. I once watched a mother skunk try to corral seven babies and get them up the path. Made me grateful for only two children. :) Tommy and I watched a raccoon climb out on the branch the bird feeder was hanging on, tip it sideways to pour out the seed, then go back to the ground to eat it. (The deer also love birdseed.) Last month, a mother duck and about twelve ducklings waddled up the path. I'd never seen that before and assume they must be nesting near the creek. We also have the robins I mentioned earlier, magpies, and hawks.

Although the yard is big and lots to maintain, neither Tommy and I are ready to give it up just yet. The blessings still outweigh the work.

Birds, Berries, & Birthdays

We have a type of cherry tree in our yard. Not edible cherries. I have no idea what kind of cherry tree they are (remember, I have a black thumb when it comes to gardening). They look more like blueberries, and the fruit rippens in July.

We also have tons of robins, who LOVE these berries. Seriously, the robins spend the summer days gorging on these berries. It's fun to sit on the porch and listen to the robins fluttering about in the trees as they eat. Although it's not so fun to clean up blue bird poop afterwards. :-)

July-the month of America's birthday, which has become my second favorite holiday by the way. Red, white, and blue. Just a few days ago, this thought came to me. Red like the robin's breast, white hot days of summer, and blue berries. How good of God to add His special touch to July!

Visit

Matt and Amber drove up the end of June to spend week with us. Lindsay flew down to join them for a few days. What a blessing that Lindsay, Matt, and now Amber enjoy one another's company and get along so well. It was the first time all five of us had been together in Utah. The kids got to visit friends, laughed with each other, and did some "touristy" things as well. We had a great visit!