A Night at Disney and a Slide Show

I raised four girls – well, Bob and I raised four girls. (Actually, isn’t the correct word “reared” four girls? Oh, well!) So, when I spend time with four boys, my life instantly gets interesting. Fortunately, I did not spend time with all four boys at the same time. I think I would have lost at least some of my sanity!! Yet it is fun and as my girls would tell you, by the end of Tuesday night, I was getting rather “loopy”! I guess singing along with the music on Disney’s Main Street while waiting for the Christmas parade – and I might add, in the RAIN and rather loudly, could instantly make you loopy! Tim (our son-in-law) graciously offered his seat – right! In other words, the place he had picked on the curb! The poncho I had just purchased barely kept the rain from seeping through my jeans – well, the ‘seat’ part of my jeans. But the lower legs, I had to wring out the water a couple times!

Shall I backtrack, which is not unusual for me!! Tim and Sandi invited me to join them along with Roxanne and Kamen at Disney’s “A Very Merry Christmas Party” in Orlando. We stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter. (Can I interject that when Sandi sent a text message about our hotel, she mistakenly wrote “POST Orleans” so from then on, it was Post Orleans to Roxanne and me! That is, until Roxanne tried to pronounce Concierge as “Consergee” and she decided that she couldn’t tease Sandi any more!)

Disney hosts the Party several nights throughout November and December. While the actual party doesn’t start until 7pm, you can get into the park around 4:30 or so. Sandi was ready and waiting and shooing us all out the door and onto the bus which would take us to the Magic Kingdom. When we got there, we traded our tickets for orange wristbands. After 7pm, anyone without a wristband would be escorted off the property.

Roxanne and Kamen headed back to Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain! This was to be Kamen’s first ride on a roller coaster! Roxanne explained that it was a train ride but it was probably the wildest train ride he had ever been on. Because it wasn’t particularly busy, they got off – and got right back on!!

I headed with Tim, Sandi and Tyler to the Jungle Cruise which took us to the “wild country”!! All kinds of animals – elephants, crocodiles and skeletons! As we were seated on the rustic boat, Tyler said rather loudly, “Nana, don’t be afraid. It will be okay!” I guess he didn’t think I quite got the message so he continued, “Nana, I’m right here. You will be safe!” Needless to say, that brought response from those sitting around us .. “Aaahhh!” This seven year old was committed to my safety. I am indeed blessed!!

I was quite entertained throughout the evening – from being part of a “Monsters Inc” event to entering the world of Buzz Lightyear and trying to aim and fire some sort of a laser gun, I was entertained! We found seats in “Mickey’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas” although the little guys were not as delighted as us older folks. Then the real fun began!! We decided to grab something to eat – Okay, that wasn’t the real fun .. it was coming! After eating at “Cosmic” something-or-other, I opted out of going to the next attraction since Bob was going to call. And the next challenge was trying to find somewhere that wasn’t so noisy you had to yell to be heard! Granted, it was Christmas music and how can you not like that!! I finally found a spot, he called and just as I finished talking – it began to rain. It had been misting throughout the evening but as I decided to try to find the others, the rain began to pick up.

Try to find the back of the castle when it is spitting rain is difficult! And then it actually begin to blow a little and rain more! Fortunately, we all had cell phones (except for the boys, or course!) I found a kiosk of sorts which actually had a cover – and about 40 other folks (and me) used it for cover until the vendor decided that we had taken up enough room for long enough!! He ran us out about the time the fireworks began – yup, in the rain!

So, in the light of the fireworks, I decided to try to find my way to Main Street and maybe get into one of the little shops. I think I went in a circle to begin with! You would have thought as many times as we have been to the Magic Kingdom, I could get from the castle to the head of Main Street. But, of course, I’m not one to take an easy way – I can’t seem to make anything too easy! Finally!!! I got to one of the shops – AHHH! I’ve found the candy store and fudge!! Exactly what I wanted to get before we left for the night – surely, it is getting close to going back to the hotel room??? It’s like almost 10pm and aren’t we getting just a little tired – and all these people are heading for the entrance and surely it’s time to …. Take a rest!! OF COURSE NOT!!! WE HAVE TO WATCH THE PARADE!! AT 10:45 AT NIGHT!! IN THE RAIN!!! AND IT’S COLD!! AND WE ARE GETTING VERY WET!!

Okay, so I vented!! I’m back to where I began now – we were entertained as we waited by a variety of passerby’s (is that a word?) Tyler was wearing an “It’s my birthday” button so Mickey’s helpers gravitated to anyone who wore such a button – or one that said “1st Visit”. By the way, as we rode in the bus from Post Orleans hotel (yes, I spelled it wrong on purpose), Sandi and Roxanne set next to a family from Australia – yesterday was their first day in the U.S.! What a welcome – both girls did an awesome job representing all of us (collectively speaking). The mother wanted to know what we ate on holidays such as Christmas Day —the girls shared our personal traditions but explained that they were not necessarily the national preference for a certain holiday. (We have scalloped potatoes and ham on Christmas Day. It’s just what we have done for years!)

Anyway, back to the end of the day – we waited for the parade – and waited – and waited some more. Parts of my body (not mentioned here) were beginning to become numb! If only it could have wasted away some of the extra pounds there! Ha!! Finally, about 10:50 or so, we began to see the beginning of the parade. It is a new parade this year and – Cinderella’s castle has a new look for the holidays this year, too. So … it was a fun time! Until one of the floats broke down – all at once, we had to pull our feet back quickly as a little tractor of sorts came flying up beside the parade and guys were running as fast as they could. It seems the parade had come to a screeching halt for a few moments and dancers had to almost dance in place! In about 30 seconds, they had it back moving and were giving the A-Okay sign along the way!

(Check out the slide show … and laugh! It’s okay! I won’t be offended in the least!!)

And just as we were leaving, it began to snow lightly. In 70 degree weather? Right! Hey, anything can happen … after all, it’s the Magic Kingdom! We finished the day looking up into tiny, twinkling snowflakes drifting softly to the ground!

And we were glad to call it a day – well – we went to sleep at 2am! So, last night, I decided to 'call it a night' at 9:30pm!! I must be getting old!!

Check out my Slide Show!

Travel, fog, rain, clouds, sun ...

Put all of that into one day and you have our day! It started out fairly early -- rainy, foggy day in Atlanta!! Yuk!! Two different climates ... rainy and cold in Atlanta -- sunny and WARM in Florida when we arrived home this evening.

Okay, so I'm ahead of myself, sort of. Isn't that the way I usually am! (Teri talked for quite a while yesterday to Phil and Lynne Driscoll. After a while, she said, "I'm my mother's daughter. I'll just keep on talking ... " So .. I'm rambling again!)

Let's backtrack to last night -- Wii game ... my brother has the big screen TV and the game. So, needless to say, his boys are facing the TV, "controllers" in their hands and are ready to play baseball, tennis, golf, bowling. Whatever strikes their fancy at the moment. But, it is pretty funny when one can't manage to hit the golf ball -- that wasn't actually my nephew but a friend of theirs who wanted to try his hand at it. You think Teri was going to miss out on the fun? Hardly! She thought she would put Rudy to bed and then play. WRONG!!! Rudy was not going to miss out on the fun so he positioned himself on Shonna's lap facing his mom (to make sure he knew right where she was at all times) ... and stayed up until .. well, midnight or so!! I was surprised that Teri was ready to go to the airport at 7:35am. Actually, we were supposed to leave at 7:30am but if you know Teri at all, you will know that leaving on time must have sent a shock wave across the world! So, we were only 5 minutes late.

We trudged along (in our van, of course) to the airport amid messy conditions. We were not complaining - Atlanta needs rain desperately!! So, I was happy they had rain even though I wasn't thrilled about driving in it. We arrived safely -- Teri strapped Rudy on (those cloth baby carriers -- I call it a papoose, but I really don't think that is what it is called!), grabbed her diaper bag / purse and her suitcase and headed for the door. I listened to the news as I left her -- an hour wait in security! Imagine my surprise when she called me about 20 minutes later to inform me she was at her gate already!! Huh??? It seems that one of the airport personnel spotted her coming in with her little guy and stuff and promptly said, "Come with me!" He took her down the wheelchair aisle and had her through security in a matter of minutes. She was only going to T2 gate (which for anyone who hasn't traveled through the Atlanta airport doesn't mean a thing -- if you have, you know right where it is!) She was able to get breakfast and change a baby and board her plane (first class on the way home) ... and she was home before we were two hours down the road. We drove through rain until about 40 miles south of Macon.

Okay, so now that I have completely bored anyone reading this and quite frankly, almost myself, I'll begin to wind down. The traffic wasn't too bad today! Thank goodness! No cops with radar guns aimed at my oncoming vehicle. A couple fender benders along the way but nothing to write home about. I was truly thankful for the prayers for our safe travel!!

It was nice to drive into the sunshine -- we actually started out in very cold weather (40's) and ended up in 83+ degree weather! Go figure! I began to wish I had just a little bit of the cooler weather. But, you can't have it both ways and I definitely prefer this nice warm weather to cold, bone chilling weather!!

So, there you have the rest of the story -- what was the beginning of the story? I have no clue since my mind is still in a fog from driving with such crazies on the road today! (No, not in the car .. along the road!)

Tomorrow I head for Disney!! Wahoo!! To spend the evening tomorrow night with two daughters and two grandsons (and a son-in-law) at Disney's "Very Merry Christmas Party"!! We'll stay at one of the hotels there on the Disney grounds -- if you are a Florida resident, you get all kinds of perks that out-of-stater's can't take advantage of!

So ... I'll write more in a couple days!! Think I'll call it a night -- or a day -- or whatever! At least, we are home safe! Oh, did I tell you that Shonna and RJ went with me, too? Teri and Rudy flew in to Atlanta to meet us. (I think I told the end of the story before the beginning!)

One funny story -- Teri was nursing Rudy and had put a blanket lightly over him so that she was modest. But, RJ was quite intrigued ... "Aunt Teri, do you have bottles in those?" I'm not sure just how she answered that one!!

Two plus three x two equals noise!!!

Okay ... you take my two girls (well, they are grown -- 31 and 33 years old), add three boys (ages 16, 20 and 23) and my two grandsons, ages 6 months and two years and it produces .. noise!! And lots of fun!! Of course, I had my camera handy and caught a few poses along the way! At midnight last night, they were just beginning to wind down -- Rudy actually fell asleep around 8:30 and slept through all the excitement. The three boys and my brother, Tim, had a great time entertaining or teasing RJ who was not in any hurry to settle down for the evening. Hopefully, he will get some sleep tonight -- or maybe it will be good if he doesn't and he will sleep all the way home tomorrow!

Christopher and Rudy -- the oldest and youngest of the boys seemed to strike up quite a friendship!! All is quiet this evening as the three oldest boys and Shonna headed out to a movie. RJ is hangin' out with Aunt Teri and Rudy!

It's been a nice weekend -- and thanks to my sister-in-law, Susan, who whipped a dinner for nine last night and ten tonight!

Tomorrow, we'll head for home -- it's been rainy here in Atlanta today but they have needed rain so badly that it has truly been a blessing.

Guess I won't ramble any more --

I couldn't pass up passing this on ...

I hope my sister doesn't hurt me too badly for sharing the following email with my friends. She tries to tell her siblings that she is not a writer but I think she sells herself far short. The passing of my mother was particularly difficult for her since she was just 42 years old when my mother went on to heaven. (Sorry for sharing, Rach!) Her oldest child is just 20 years old and her youngest, Seth, just turned 8 in October. While the rest of us miss our mom a lot, I had an extra 15 years with my mother that she didn't have. I am blessed by my family -- my brothers - Tim, Mark, Joel and Thad .. and our sister, Rachel. Thank you, Rachel, for putting into words what we all must feel but you described so eloquently!! I wanted to include a few photos .. and found a treasure -- the one of my mother with Allen and Bob. They shared the name "FIL" (Favorite In-Law) and bantered with her about which one carried the name at that particular moment! What memories to treasure!!

Dear Fam,

On Tuesday I was ordering our Christmas cards and the lady taking my order, which we have known for 10 years or so, put all the pictures down and said I will do this later. She proceeded to say, "Rachel, you lost your mother, my dad has been gone since February and I don't know how I am going to get thru this Thanksgiving. She started to cry and I felt as if Mother's gift of ministering came thru me as I told her how difficult this past year had been, but yet God gave us peace and helped the pain to ease a little.

I told her how last year I felt it very helpful to ease the grief and write a Thanksgiving prayer and thank God for all the things I learned from my mom and it helped me realize how blessed we truly are....On that basis I would like to take this opportunity to write another Thanksgiving prayer.....

"Dear God why did G'ma have to die?"

God, this is the question I hear so often from our Seth Mark.....He will be playing quietly with his legos and out of the blue this question will come. How do I answer this 8 year old who never even had the opportunity to spend as much time with her as the rest of us did? He seems to have a special bond with her.

Thank you God for the memories I can share with him to keep her close to his little heart. ( He was the first to break down and cry when we were at the cemetery on the one year anniversary of her passing)

Here are a few of the memories I want to share with him:

I can still hear her voice as she would call usually around 8:00 a.m. and ask "What do you have planned for today? I am having my devotions and I am praying for you....stay encouraged, God is still on the throne." Man, I sure miss hearing that!

I can still hear her shout praised to God when she was blessed and felt God's reassurance that all of her children were going to make it to Heaven......God will answer her prayers...

G'ma's touch was always so special as she would hug all of us when we came to visit and she loved all the little things the children were involved in and always made over all their accomplishments no matter how small.....Bible quizzing, basketball games, plays, etc. The children always wanted to call and tell G'ma how they did on their Bible quiz since they knew G'ma and &G'pa were praying for them....we still call G'pa and report to him and it he still enjoys sharing in their successes.

She touched our lives with the prayers she prayed daily for each one of us.

I find myself thinking about the smells of wonderful food cooking.....especially on Sundays as Mother would make her famous pork roast, carrot casserole, or chili, and meatloaf....These recipes I am passing on to my children and I tho't about her as I was putting the turkey in the oven today. She would always get up so early.

It's hard to believe over a year has passed, God, you've been so close when a wave of grief has passed over us and we just want to call Mother. The pain is not as fresh, but it is still a dull ache in our hears and lives. I have felt her near many times when I have been so discouraged and so overloaded, I've wanted to just call her. I then realize she has reached her goal...Heaven....I then think of the many times when we could come to visit she would be waiting in the doorway of their apartment and hug each one of us and welcome us home. One day I believe she will waiting at Heaven's gate for us and she will say, "I've been waiting for you, I knew you could make it and I'm so proud of you."

So God, would you tell my mother "Happy Thanksgiving"? Please tell her we are caring for Dad just like she would've wanted us to do.

God, thank You also for letting us have Dad live closer to us. Our children, especially Juliana, Seth, and Shaley have said so many time when we have been with G'pa, "I wish G'ma could've lived closer like G'pa then we could've spent more time with her and she could've come to church with us too.

Thank You for carrying Dad thru many hospital visits this year and allowing him to be with us this Thanksgiving. He has continued to minister to so many people. People stop me regularly to tell me what a blessing he is to them and how much they love him. What a gift he continues to be to us and so many others...in singing and praying with people.

Thank You God for my wonderful sister and brothers, husband and children who have been such a support this last year. Their love for Dad/G'pa and the grief over the loss of Mother/G'ma, has made an even stronger bond between us.

So, God when Seth asks again "Why did G'ma have to die" or Juliana writes me a note saying "I know you miss your mom and I really miss G'ma", help me to continue to instill in them the legacy of prayer and commitment to You that reminds us we can see her again someday!

Amen

Thanksgiving memories ...

It's amazing what memories we have of Thanksgiving ... from years of long ago (longer than I want to admit actually) at my grandmother's house. She was one of those old fashioned type grandmothers who did everything in a proper manner. Just ask the rest of her 12 grandchildren and all would probably agree. We were not allowed to drink iced tea until we were ... well probably almost adults. It was not a drink for children!! I can't remember what we did drink -- probably milk!!

She had a table that folded right up against the wall - and yet could stretch out farther than I could imagine. I have no clue how many we actually sat around that table -- but I know my brothers did all kind of antics during prayer -- along with my cousins, Gary and Scott. They loved to 'de-pit' the olives -- pull the pimento out and I'm sure my parents, my aunt and uncle and my grandmother had it all figured out. However, I don't remember too much about that -- just from stories I have learned since!

I loved going to Grandma's house. She was the only grandparent (my mother's mom) that I remember much about. My mom's father died when I was just a little over 3. My dad's mother died when he was just 8 years old. I don't remember much at all about his dad but I believe he died not long after my mom's dad passed away. So, we spent most holidays at Grandma Nelson's house. Since she didn't have a particularly large family -- three children and twelve grandchildren, we could fit into her home quite nicely. My Uncle Cecil and Aunt Roberta lived in Tennessee so they usually didn't make it home for Thanksgiving. So, that left about 15 of us! But, we had a lively time.

After dinner which usually good desserts, there was often a lively discussion on a political topic -- which my dad and my Uncle Chuck shared. I couldn't tell you the topics, but all I know is that it got quite animated!

My dad had a deep voice and when he prayed, we all thought heaven heard right through the roof. His voice was so resonating that Uncle Chuck would threaten his kids that Uncle Dick would get after them if they didn't act right. However, the kids all loved my dad so they didn't seem to be too afraid. At least, I don't think they were!

I always loved heading to Grandma's coffee table. She had a glass cover on it and under the glass were the latest family pictures she had received. We always wanted to see who had been added!

When the table had been cleaned up and folded nicely back against the wall, it was time for hide-and-seek -- I have no idea where all we thought we could hide but we seemed to all race for Grandma's coat closet in her entryway. (I think we also tried to hide in a closet in her bedroom!) We'd hide behind her coats and maybe it was the smell of them that made us feel safe. Isn't there something special about a Grandmother's smell. Sounds weird, sort of, but I think we might all agree on that one.

We also loved to sit in her kitchen which had a big picture window. When I was little, it looked out over a big field. But, the years passed and homes were built there. But, she usually had a bird feeder hanging in her tree and how I enjoyed watching to see if there were any birds 'feeding'! What memories! Oh, and of course, I inherited her love for crossword puzzles. I remember her often as I'm working on a puzzle -- which I do everyday in the newspaper and almost go into withdrawal if I miss! Thank goodness that my mother-in-law is an avid crossword-er so when we stay with her, we share the task at hand!

I am the oldest of her 12 grandchildren and because of that, I had a very special place with my grandmother. I was reminded of that once in a while by my brothers or cousins but usually without any jealousy. Everyone had their own place but I had held a special spot with my grandfather before he passed away. It seemed my grandma and I shared a special love for him -- I have lots of film clips of my early days -- like 15 minutes of watching someone feed me a bottle. (Boring, I know .. but it must have been a treasure for my grandpa. He seemed to film it again and again.)

My grandmother has been gone for quite a long time now -- actually over 17 years. And yet I find myself from time to time wanting to drop her a note about the kids and grandkids. I remember when I last saw her before she passed away -- she had fallen right before we were to celebrate her 90th birthday. She was in the hospital and we took turns stopping by to see her. She was doing okay ... so okay that she looked over her glasses as she did so well and told me (when she knew they were considering whether she could return to her own home), "They are having a meeting of the board!" That was my grandma!!

Tomorrow I will celebrate my grandmother again -- I was fortunate to receive her china after she passed away and I will be using some of it tomorrow as we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I don't have any olives so I guess my grandsons can't try to pull the pimento out of them .. but I'm sure they will have their own flavor of fun and they'll tell their own stories some day ... at my expense! One correction in the photo above -- my grandmother is actually holding Valerie -- I don't think Rachel had arrived yet!

"Over the meadow and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go .... "

Urgent Prayer Request

I wanted to pass along this request from William and Tammy Brown. They are staying in a guest room near the hospital -- others have offered accommodations but the guests rooms there are very adequate for their needs.

Urgent Prayer Request
We are in Indy at Tammy's dad's home. We were driving behind them (Tom and Mary Morgan) when they were involved in a horrific accident right in front of us.I am posting this from the waiting room at Indy Memorial. Both Tom and Mary were airlifted here. Tom is in Surgury and Mary is awaiting her turn with the same surgeon. Tammy's uncle Mike is with us and Gene Hood and Mike's pastor have been as well.

At the present it appears that neither of their injuries are life-threatening though Tom especially is looking at "many surguries" and months of rehab for a "pulverized ankle" and broken hip.We had come across 28 from Muncie to Alexandria (past Woodland Family Camp) to see the Gaither studios etc.

We were following Tammy's dad in our car and the accident unfolded right in front of us. Debris from the back of Tom's truck totally dusted our car. You can see photos, etc here... Tammy's dad was driving the white truck.

http://www.heraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_324153935.html

Update :

By way of praise, the surgeon just came out to update us. As it turns out, Tom's most serious injury is his ankle and this hospital has signifificant experience dealing with this type of injury on race car drivers. According to the surgeon, his odds of having his foot survive are greatly increased since he is being treated here.

The rest of the story ....

I was going to write more yesterday and as you can see, it just didn't happen!! Fallin' down on the job, I guess! It was a beautiful day on Sunday -- perfect for a birthday party -- especially outside! Sandi had food set up on their back porch and tables set up outside. Of course, several found places inside where it seemed to be a little cooler. There were others who were not necessarily thrilled that a sign "No TV Today" had been taped to their TV. Sandi and Tim were pretty sure that some party goers would have stopped there and not passed 'go' to go on outside. Football games were on -- but, Sunday was party day and 'party' we did! Little guy style!

Star Wars was the theme and if you asked me anything about it, you would probably get a blank stare. I have no clue who is whom and what is what. It's pretty sad that I had to look up how to spell Princes Leia (I wanted to spell it Leah .... go figure!) Did I actually spell it right? Who knows! I think Sandi read lots before she threw this party since she was pretty sure Tyler knew more than she did. Although, they are careful about what he watches so who knows where he learned about Star Wars.

One of the things I thought was really neat was the 'pinata'. Rather than using a bat to beat the poor thing to death, each of the kids grabbed a streamer and on the "1-2-3 GO" instruction, they all yanked their streamer. Tim had to help the Darth Vader mask pinata open up a little but out came candy and little boys were waiting. I heard no distress calls as they filled their little bags -- believe it or not, they all seemed to be happy with what they got! Wow!

It is always hard for Tim and Sandi to choose who they will invite -- people look forward to their parties and while they don't want to offend anyone, they knew that the typical over 100+ could send Tyler into melt down mode and they didn't want that. A 'crowd' of about 50-60 seems to work well. Tyler really enjoyed having new friends Gordon and Cannon Lombos all the way from California. (I hope I spelled their names correctly.) They are the grandsons of Rex And LaWanda Bullock (the sons of their daughter Sherilyn and her husband, Allen).

So .. there was food -- chili -- 2 kinds! My kind and Tim's kind -- how's that for description. Doesn't tell you much, huh?! There were chips and dips and veggies and dip and hot dogs with anything you wanted on them. I cut up the onions -- and didn't even cry in the process. Woohoo for me! Of course, there was a cake -- a Yoda cake! Sandi had no clue what it should look like other than a photo but I think she did a pretty good job!!

So, what will it be next year? I can almost guarantee you that within about a month, we'll know what the plans will be for that party. Makes me tired thinking of it -- but, it did take a lot less time this year than it has in other years. Wow! I've included a photo of her 'prize' bags she gave to each of the boys who attended - and the mask as well.

I'm tired thinking about it all so will stop for now -- I'm ready for a nap!! Oops -- only 3:30pm -- hardly time for a nap or I must be getting old!

Tyler's 7th Birthday Party!!

I'm going to post a few photos from Tyler's party here and then will write more tomorrow! It was a great time! What fun!!

Celebrating a birthday!!!

Tomorrow, we will be celebrating Tyler's seventh birthday. It's a big day -- it is always a big day. Parties have been his mother's (Sandi) forte since she was just a little gal. She organized her own birthday party (Strawberry Shortcake) and asked her sisters to invite friends. She was a loner by nature -- well, I should say she was a stay-at-home child. She tagged along with me to the library and errands but wasn't all that outgoing. (I know -- if you know her now you can't even imagine this!!) I say all that to say this -- She's still the 'party' gal and folks beg to come to her parties. Yes, they do! When she decided to cut the number for Tyler's party last year from about 135 down to around 60, close friends told her that there would be people who would be hurt by that. However, Tyler does better with small groups -- small being a relative term!

I looked through my photos and could only find two parties' photos quickly. She has had everything from a Thanksgiving feast the first year. That was intended to thank all their close friends for their support throughout the previous year. Tim had lost his father in an automobile accident about 6 weeks before Sandi got pregnant. They had been married for 10 years so we all rejoiced that they were having a child -- and her sisters claim that is when she became a 'normal' person! LOL!! She's more organized than I could hope to be in a lifetime. She has lists and lists and everything comes out as it should -- down to the most minute detail!! She has had a carnival, a 'farm' complete with a milking machine -- which was 'handled' best by a lady past 90 years old!! She has had a Winter Wonderland complete with a snow ball fight in Florida -- in November -- thanks to an ice skating rink which provided ice shavings! She's had a petting zoo! You name it -- you got it! Last year, it was a Safari and this year -- it is Star Wars! I'll have pictures to prove it!

So, thought I would share some of the photos from the two years I could find quickly!! We'll have a great day tomorrow -- I'm making chili for it. There will be hot dogs, corn dogs, chili -- my kind and Indiana kind ... and lots more! Of course, a birthday cake made by ... who else? Sandi!