50

We originally decided to have the kids and my parents either at our house or at camper depending on the weather, to celebrate my 50th. The weather showed perfect for lake so we opted to camp. And lo and behold, my parents got in also via a cancellation on Tuesday. Since the weather was looking fabulous, my uncles asked if they could bring up the boats Sunday since we would be there. This changed up the plans to include everyone for dinner. I smoked a brisket at home on Thursday to reheat and we decided on east Mac and cheese in crockpot, pasta salad, cucumber salad and cake and cheesecakes. My aunt Julie brought some pulled pork and watermelon also. Gabi, being the giving person she is, got a ton of decorations. Unfortunately, Friday morning she got sick. Stomach bug pretty bad. So Ben somewhat decorated to try and help out once we got to camper. Gabi insisted she was coming with us and would fight through it. She was pretty down and out til the evening when she decided to show me the surprise she had been working on. A video full of small shorts of friends and family. Many many tears were shed. So sweet of her. And she got me a red velvet Bundt cake so we broke into that. Gabi felt a bit better Saturday and her friend, Elian, came up to visit. We didn’t do too much but just relax and took a ride to end of lakes and back. Sunday we decided to rent a pontoon so we could get our whole family out on the sandbar. The boys arrived before noon to go out. Uncle Rusty, Brandon and family and uncle Kenny also came around that time. Chad and family was there camping also. So we met on the sandbar with lots of decor and birthday gear from Gabi. She was feeling much better by then. 90 degrees and sunny made the day. Came back for the food and of course cake and cheesecake for dessert to celebrate. Trenton stayed over with us to end the weekend. And unfortunately we ended up at square one - Gabi got sick again last night. Good news, however, she’s feeling better already. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday. I felt so loved and celebrated by all. And my baby girl did a lot of the presentation. She truly is a giver. Always wants others to feel appreciated. And I was so very happy my boys made the drive to come and celebrate. The grands had such a good time. Truly a good day. Love my family so much. And I’ll cherish this weekend forever. Including the special video. 

Half a Century Thoughts

So I’ve almost been on earth half a century!  Instead of dreading it, I thought I would think on what I’ve learned over time and celebrate them. These have come to mind and thought I’d share….

-God always has a plan. Listen to Him. Watch for doors to open and say goodbye to the ones that close. He has already written your next chapter. 

-Love your spouse with all you have.  Enjoy the different phases of life together. Communicate!

-Family is a precious gift. Cherish them. Learn from the ones still here. Watch for signs from the ones that are gone. They are all around us. 

-Patience is truly a virtue. It definitely gets better over time. Be slow to speak and listen more. 

-Friends make life fun. Enjoy time with them and hold tight to the good ones. 

-Kids grow up way too fast. Live in the moment with them, you’ll never get it back. Be hands on. Savor every high with them and love them through the lows.

-Pictures are gold!  Take many!  They bring memories to life. 

-You cannot change people. But you can change your reaction to them. 

-Time is most certainly a thief. Put your phone down, turn off the tv.  Be present. Make memories!