Week-Long Birthday Celebration

I've enjoyed a whole week of birthday celebrations - maybe because I'm now 70 years young!  And, I've been blessed with a big extended family and lots of friends, in addition to my children and grandchildren.  I think someone had the idea to throw a big party for me, but honestly I loved this way of celebrating - with small groups or one at a time.  The time together for visiting and story telling or yard clean-up provides the best gifts for me.

Celebrations began on Friday with a nice dinner at Bonefish in the Northtown Mall with Marilyn and Dena.  A precious, hand-carved Santa, brought joy to my happy heart.  It's another treasure from the creative hands of my brother, Don.

 Saturday morning Joan hosted a brunch with Aunt Maxine as our special guest.  She'll be 95 on November 8th, election day.  She still enjoys telling family stories and quizzing us about our political opinions.  She's not afraid to tell us who she plans to vote for and why!  She lives in the home she and Uncle Bernard built in 1950.  "I told Kop I did not know how we would ever be able to make the mortgage payment of $84.19."  She has some hearing loss so she communicates with her children via Email every morning.  Amazing and inspiring!

I enjoyed an early dinner with my sister, Joan at Anthony's on Saturday evening.  We shared a meal, but each splurged on a huckleberry dessert!  After dinner we walked a few blocks to enjoy the Chinese Lantern Festival in Riverfront Park.

Stunning displays of light!

I appreciate the "project gift" my kids and grands give me every fall.  This year I pulled out all the Virginia Creeper and John and Duane torn down the arbor because the wooden boards were rotten and started to pull away from the house.  

Anne made sure the scarecrow was secure on the bench under the dogwood tree.  Bradleigh and Karen pulled out all the sad looking annuals in the front flower beds.

I like to take an annual picture with the scarecrow that  inherited after my mother died.

We've changed a bit since 2012

Everyone worked so fast and efficiently that they John and Jake had time to put up the Christmas lights!  I think they were happy to do it on a nice, warm day.

John's truck was loaded to overflowing with rotten 2x4's, leaves, vines, and a few dogwood branches!

I'm not sure if I'll replace the arbor because the patio seems so open and clean right now.  But, I might change my mind next summer when it's 110 and no shade!

Colin still likes to climb the tree!

The celebrating continued on Tuesday night as Jean and I enjoyed a lovely meal at Jollymore's.  Wednesday afternoon my 4th Day friends came to my house and we shared close moments, soup, and pumpkin pie.  Connie found time to take me shopping for new jeans and boots!  She said it's important that I have an updated, younger look!  Karen and John stopped by with a lemon-raspberry cupcake they found in Spokane.  Larry, Holly, Kaitlyn, and Kammryn joined us for dinner.  I begged Kammryn to go next door with me to meet Juniper, my neighbor's dog.  Every time I go over to feed her she barks and growls at me.  Kammryn's a dog whisperer I'm quite certain!  Her voice soothed the traumatized dog to the point of letting me pet her.  

I love all the flowers, wine, cards, phone calls and special greetings via Email and Facebook.  All this special attention made entering my seventh decade a time of joy instead of a day of dread.  

Colin called to wish me a happy birthday, the same day he'd had his first parent-teacher conferences at Moscow Middle School.  He said it went pretty well.  "Most teachers told my parents that I'm a good student and a joy to have in the classroom."  Sometimes I feel a little sad that my grandchildren are growing up and maturing into teenagers and young adults, but when I hear stories like that,  I realize there's a reason to delight in them and myself, no matter what the age!