Posts Tagged ‘birthday’
Other Mother
When I married Cyndie, I officially gained my other mother, Marie. At the time, I had no idea what that was going to be like, but my sense was that it would be good. For the prior seven years when Cyndie and I were dating, I had enjoyed time with her family almost as much as with her alone.
Now, thirty-six years later, I can report that my mother-in-law experience has been infinitely better than I could possibly have imagined.
Cyndie’s mother, Marie, is celebrating a milestone birthday today. This morning we are gathering for breakfast at a restaurant to honor the occasion. This is particularly fitting, because family breakfasts under Marie’s skillful direction have been a priceless treat over the years.
If anyone ever happened to express a preference for something, maybe commenting about how they like their eggs prepared, Marie would notice and remember, serving up a perfect variety of versions every year after to assure everyone always gets what they want.
Marie’s balance of being exceptionally adventurous while also nurturing an organized routine of most activities have added depth, and provided stability, to my life as an in-law. We share enough traits to be in sync often, and clash only rarely.
Probably best of all for me, Marie has a keen sense of humor. She is ever so gracious in allowing herself be the target of jabs, while also being wily enough to play along with ever-present silliness and get in a few of her own pokes along the way.
It’s considered bad manners to reveal a lady’s age, so I will avoid blurting it out in public, but let’s just say it’s a good round number that just might have an 8 in it.
Happy Birthday, my other mom. You are terrific!
Keep up the good work.
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Bang. Ouch!
This morning, the horses grazing in the arena space to the choral serenade of innumerable songbirds was right up there on a list of top idyllic moments we enjoy at our Wintervale paradise.
That is in stark contrast to the anxious drama that played out yesterday.
It started normal enough, but quickly shifted when a startling accident drew blood. For me, it was the sound that was most unsettling. The cries and curses, and then the flowing blood were all more of a given, considering the indescribable sound of impact and the reaction it unleashed.
I rushed over to Cyndie’s aid and worked to calm her while I recovered her glasses and guided her out from under the willow tree and up the driveway to the house. I had immediately placed my hand over her bloody forehead and then told her to use her own hand to keep pressure on the wound while we walked.
Not having taken time to immediately inspect the source of all the blood, I imagined a series of possibilities while we walked. I was also factoring in a potential trip to an emergency room to get her stitched up. Luckily, that turned out to be unnecessary.
Today is Cyndie’s birthday. She has given herself a hell of a black eye for the occasion. That, and a story to tell.
I’m not sure it is my place to reveal the full detail of her foible, but let’s just say you have probably witnessed the scenario play out on a few cartoons or slapstick episodes of Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stooges.
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Wish her a happy birthday. 🙂
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Flying Home
Today is going to be a travel day for us, as we are flying from Florida to Minneapolis on our way home to Wisconsin. I am ready to get back to my normal routine. Despite leaving this warm and sunny climate and returning to the cold and snow, I don’t feel bad about leaving.
It’s been great hanging out with Cyndie’s family and celebrating her dad’s birthday, but even Fred was beginning to express interest in being done with all the special attention. There’s a point after which continued pounding on the “happy birthday” accolades begins to feel excessive.
The surprises are complete, and both Steve and Ben had to leave yesterday, so the momentum of the long weekend has already shifted significantly toward the concluding phases of the operation.
After their departure, Barry, Carlos, & I took a hike around the perimeter of the golf club community where Cyndie’s parents’ house is located. I stepped up to take a picture of one of the giant concrete power poles that support wires running along a portion of one border.
Almost looks like a pyramid.
After a long, leisurely soak in the pool, the day was slipping away at a rapid pace. We took in some NFL playoff broadcasts and ran a little errand to scout out a nice hotel nearby that has a few extra water slide features complimenting their pools. It could become an option for a future family gathering event down here.
Now my mind is shifting in advance toward thinking about a certain dog, some horses, our meowing cat, and the snow mess I will return to at the end of this day. It’s been above freezing for most of the time we’ve been away. I can’t guess how much snow will still be on the ground when we arrive.
Looking ahead, there appears to be a little more of the white stuff on the way tomorrow and Wednesday, so reality will settle in right away.
For now, our fun in the sun is done.
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Celebrating 80
I always treasure the opportunity to celebrate people while they are still alive to experience it. The milestone of an 80th birthday is a worthy occasion for doing so. Today is Fred’s actual birthday, so, Happy Birthday to him!
After moving furniture around on the lanai to make room for the dozens of invited guests coming to join us in honoring Fred yesterday, we headed out to the really fine bocce ball courts.
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The weather continues to be perfectly comfortable. Clear sunny skies, warm temps, but not too hot, and nothing more than a gentle breeze. Another day in paradise.
It boggles my mind how often I am able to write about being in paradise, between visits to here in Florida, their lake place in Hayward, WI, and at our Wintervale Ranch home.
One of the things that expands the greatness of a paradise in exceptional ways is a gathering of precious people. Marie and Fred have amassed a large collection of wonderful friends and many of them were available last night to join us for a nice party at the house.
Cyndie and her brothers had enlisted the grandkids in helping collect a list of adjectives that describe Fred. Barry printed them out and cut up batches for distribution to everyone attending. With some spur-of-the-moment ad-libs sprinkled in, friends and family took turns reading the words and heaping all sorts of heart-felt love and respect on the birthday boy.
Fred told us the other day, “It’s getting harder to maintain my image as a child prodigy.”
Happy 80th birthday, Fred.
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Far Away
This feels so far away from home. Breakfast on the lanai by the pool in shorts and a t-shirt is so mind-bogglingly different from my normal routine that I feel like this is a dream. Well, it is a dream, actually. We are living the dream.
Besides power-lounging the day away, the most work I did involved figuring out how to connect Fred and Marie’s smart TV to the internet so they could watch shows on Amazon Prime, and then helping Fred put air in his bike tires.
He hadn’t ridden the bike for about 2 years, but Marie told him other visitors have been using the bikes every year. He wanted to take a little ride, so we just added some air and off he went.
When we next saw him again an hour or so later, he reported he had gone for a short bike ride followed by a long walk. His front tire had blown out. First, he reported noticing a ticking sound as the wheel turned round and round. Then it POPPED!
Forensic analysis revealed a failure in the sidewall of the tire. The inner tube had ballooned out and was rubbing the brake with each revolution, until the rubber tube burst.
Turned out to be a pretty impressive level of activity for the guy turning 80 this weekend.
Otherwise, the afternoon became a blur of card games, napping, and floating in the pool. Cyndie served Barry and Carlos drinks by the pool.
Around dinner time, the surprises for Fred continued as Cyndie’s brother, Steve arrived. Then, after dessert had been served, her last brother, Ben appeared with his wife, Sara. The last secret had been revealed and the kids were all present.
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We sat around the table sharing life stories and lost our breath in laughter multiple times. Fred shared a memory of his 60th birthday when the kids all showed up for a surprise gathering on a ski vacation in the mountains out west. That year, they left spouses at home.
Cyndie and I have been married for 35 years and had dated off and on for 7 years before that, so I recognized plenty of the tales that were being recollected. Reliving the many stories reveals a weird combination of my being part of the family, but not being one of the family. I’m here, but I’m not as here here as they are, if that makes any sense.
One thing that is clear, we are noticeably far away from our home in Wisconsin right now.
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Morning Night
Yesterday I woke up in the morning surrounded by crunchy snow and went to sleep last night among palm trees.
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In a very hush, hush operation, Cyndie and I flew to Florida to surprise her father for the weekend to celebrate the occasion of his 80th birthday. I texted Elysa when we arrived last night to let her know we were gone from home. I told very few people about it in order to avoid leaking the secret and spoiling the surprise.
George and Anneliese are running the ranch in Wisconsin while we are gone.
Oddly enough, the weather at home is predicted to be unusually warm while we are down here. Almost defeats the purpose of traveling to Florida. Good thing we came down to be with family, not just to get away from the cold and snow.
You know me. I LOVE snow! That doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy the predicted sunshine and 80° while we’re here, though.
Cyndie’s brother, Barry and husband, Carlos, arrived just an hour before us last night. Marie told Fred she needed to go to the store so she could pick us all up at the airport. She pulled off the surprise wonderfully and we made a grand entrance to greet Fred at the house.
Marie served a late meal on the lanai and we sat around the table in the warm (and humid, relative to up north right now) night air reminiscing about many entertaining memories of the properties that Fred and Marie have purchased over the years.
Not a single one of them turned out wrong. They’ve had this place for 16 years now, and it feels natural to be here again. I remember what a surprise it seemed back then, when I first heard they bought the house.
It’s a real honor being here with them all to make the milestone of 80 years a special family event.
No snow pictures for a few days now. Hope you don’t mind.
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Anniversary Thirty-Five
Happy Anniversary today, Cyndie. Thirty-five years in a blink. How’d that happen?
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At the same time, today is also Julian’s birthday. Thanks for sharing this day with us, my other jwh, and making it even more special than it already was!
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Birthday Day
Today is my 57th birthday, just 4 days after Elysa turned 30. Yesterday we celebrated Elysa with food and fun. Today… I don’t know what will happen. I have no plan. The kids and their significant others slept over, so we have a house-full that lends a festive feeling. I hear Cyndie in the kitchen making sounds that indicate waffles are under construction.
There are all the trappings of the brilliant bash that happened yesterday still to be cleaned up, so that may occupy a bit of our time. Thankfully, the weather has returned to a much more comfortable dew point, so outdoor efforts won’t involve as much sweating.
Right now, I feel like doing as little as possible. After that, I’ll dive into another year and see what comes next.
Happy June 26th!
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Elysa’s Tricennial
Could it be? Have 30 years gone by in a surprising way? Why, yes, it could and it has. Our daughter, Elysa, is masterfully preparing to host a celebration at our place in honor of the fast-approaching milestone of her 30th birthday. If you are in the neighborhood on June 25th, stop by and sample the fun.
Click on the image to visit her site!
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Cyndie’s Birthday
We are celebrating Cyndie’s birthday today! Our festivities actually kicked off last weekend when the kids and I unveiled some of our gifts, including a plan for today. Basically, it is our intention to give her as much of the entire day to be with the horses. We will take care of Delilah and prepare meals for her so that she can spend as much uninterrupted time as possible in the presence of the herd.
For gifts, we presented her with welcome signs that can be placed near the road when she hosts workshops or giant birthday parties for her daughter, and Julian premiered a preview of a web site he is setting up for her.
I am also hoping to finish creating a washing station for the horses, which is something Cyndie has wanted since we got them. I’ve had a plan in mind for a couple of years, and started by adding some fill to the spot in preparation.
That needed some time to settle, which gave me an excuse to procrastinate on the next phase. Now her birthday is giving me an excuse to stop procrastinating.
I started yesterday, burying one post for a hitching rail, but then got chased indoors by rain. Hoping today will provide a few chances to work more on it while Cyndie is nearby with the herd.
With luck, Delilah will be as patient and good company as she was yesterday while I worked.
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Relative Something 