Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
I had my marching orders. At 8:15 am, I was off to the flower store to get roses for all the ladies joining us today, thirteen, I think! I succeeded in my assignment, and I rewarded myself with a donut from the bakery. I shall not get close to the bathroom scale for two more days! I hung a sign on the scale:
When it stops lying, I will remove the sign!
We were all getting ready to depart, and at 10:00 am, I unleashed The Silver Fox and with a mighty lurch, we sped forward to the 55 and down to the Lodge. I dropped off the girls at the front door and carried the 14 vases of roses myself. As I got them out of the car, I realized I bit off more than I could chew. To the rescue came Zachary and Gary. They grabbed the roses just before I would have dropped the whole shebang.
We have arrived, and the table was ready!
After supervising the delivery of the roses, courtesy of Dr. Mary, I had to sit down!
Excellent job, Elks!
Our table held thirty people, and it was interesting to see where they sat. It was a very happy group!
Our table went on for miles.
We had five grandsons in this gaggle of humanity! They are the funny ones! We also have three great-grandchildren, but they are not babies anymore! Lilly is almost eleven!
All of our family know each other and get along so well!
Mary’s roses went the length of the table, a veritable forest of red standing tall.
The bees were buzzing.
There was so much food available that several went for seconds. Today, I stayed with the tried-and-true Mexican spicy. The champagne was being poured into the bottomless glasses for all the mothers, so I settled for a bottle of wine.
The champagne flowed!
Michele, Irene, and Robin always make a party happen!
After all that champagne, and you are still standing???
Vicky is still spinning up about her recent European vacation, and Jim is taking it easy being the senior senior today!
Vicky and Jim are a fun couple.
Dianne joined us today, making it special for Dr. Mary. Dianne and Becky haven’t seen each other for years, but they caught up quickly!
I like being surrounded!!
The boys are growing up quickly. Charlie is driving cars, and Alex is driving everyone nuts—it seems fair!
Joe and the “boys”… young men!
Jow has a beautiful family, and thank goodness Amy is there to put the brakes on these three; otherwise, they would always be off the track!
Joe’s beautiful family!
Amy and her mother, Michele, are fun to be around!!
Amy and her mom, Michele.
Oh my, I still have a few pounds to go/ Poor Amy sees me in Alex, so she is terrified about the future. Why, I wonder??
My Three Sons (OK, one son and two grandsons)
Miss Robin is always nearby to check that things are going well and is ready to make corrections if needed. I love my oldest and wisest daughter.
We really missed Colleen today; it would have been perfect if she were here.
Robin came to check on the old man.
Some presents were exchanged, and Mary’s face lit up with the patriotic pin!
Presents were exchanged.
A friend and neighbor for 35 years, a party without Vicky is not a party. She lights up the room!!!
Our dearest friend Vicky!!
Bob and Nick with Theo and Franklyn…a fun group. Nick and Theo used to play computer games online for hours on end.
Son-in-Law with their young men.
Robin checks on Pops, ensuring my water glass is full and iced tea is topped off.
A pair to draw to!
Dang, what can I say? Mary and Becky, along with Robin and Michele, surrounded me! Am I a kept man?
Surrounded by a bevy of beauties.
We stayed at the Elks until about 2:30 pm as we needed to drop Becky off at the airport at 3:00 for her flight back to Phoenix. Beck’s surprise was wonderful for Dr. Mary!
Everyone had a super time, and I am sure photos will be coming in for the next week!
We headed home, and after a short visit to Jeff’s, we attempted to watch TV, but I was done! I barely made it to the bedroom before crashing and sleeping until 6:00 am he next morning.
