Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter/Birthday Weekend

Yes, it was a very busy, but wonderful weekend. Saturday was my 84th birthday and we celebrated it by going to Riverside (about an hour and a half from our house) to be with our great friends, Cherie and Stan, who just happen to be Heather's parents. To all of you who may not remember off hand who Heather is, she just happens to be the Mom to three of my greatest great grandchilren (Sue's grandchildren) and one of the best photographers I know.


Cherie was here, one day during the children's spring break with Heather and the kids. They came for dinner after spending a difficult day here in Palm Desert. They had taken the kids to the Living Desert and it was cold and extremely windy. Actually, the wind was the worst we have seen in 22 years of living here. Unfortunately, it was so bad that many of the animals had sought refuge in their habitat so they couldn't even see many of them. I think they were happy to get over here out of it all. They were a little unhappy though that they weren't allowed to go in the pool. We would never have been able to take the cover off the or it would have just blown away. At any rate when Cheri found out it was my birthday Saturday, she invited us to celebrate an early Easter dinner with them. It was a family affair with lots of her relatives and a few neighbors attending. We arrived there at 2:00 in the afternoon a whole hour early due to a misconception on my part. It was fun though to have an hour with just them and an hour later they started to arrive. Stan had fixed both ham and turkey and after a little time just visiting, we all went to the park, which was just around the corner from them. A great time was had by all. There were five children and 21 in all and there were many activities going on, kite flying, various balls being tossed about, skate boarding and of course, the egg hunt. Then we went back to the house and had a tremendously good feast! Everyone had brought side dishes so we had lots of salads, vegetables, fruit and desserts. I made and brought my own birthday cake. It was still in the 9X13 baking pan it was baked in. They put candles on it for me to blow out and Heather, our professional photographer , took a picture. If she posts it, I will put it on here later so you can see.

While I was there, Nikki, my third daughter, called me from Boston where she had gone to be with her husband, Perry, who is a production designer and was there filming a movie. All of her family was there with the exception of her daughter Kristin's husband. It was so neat to talk to everyone, but really hard to hear because I was on the cell phone and with 5 children and 16 adults there, you can imagine what the noise level was.

It was so nice of Cherie to invite us and we certainly did enjoy the day. She also presented me with my favorite house plant. Can't think of the name of it but it has longish broad leaves and has white lily like blossoms on it. Maybe one of you can enlighten me with the actual name. Also Heather gave me a darling picture of the kids in a very cute frame.

We left about 7:00 and were home at a decent hour. I hate to drive late on Saturday night with all the crazies on the road. After I got home, I got calls from all the rest of the kids, so it was a very nice birthday. I then worked on my talk for a short while........mostly trying to time it because I didn't want to run over my alloted 10 minutes.

The next morning I was a bit upset trying to find something in my closet that would fit me comfortably so I could have all the breath I needed to force my vocal chords to perform. Both Dick and I gained 10 pounds over the holiday and haven't been able to loose it. Every Monday we start on our "Healthy Eating Plan" which really does work. But something during the week has us going off on a regular basis. It can be going out to dinner, having someone in for dinner, leftover sweets that NEED to be eaten, right? So many excuses. So today we are starting over one more time.

I did find an outfit that looked and felt okay so off I went to church. When I read how long the program was, I was a bit concerned. They had three of us women speak (I was the first) and three musical numbers. I was thinking we never would have been able to quit on time and when we don't it takes time away from Sunday School Our Bishop is pretty good about stopping at 10:05a.m. (We have my most hated schedule, 9 to 12. I am just NOT a morning person.) I did well on my talk and so did the other two, in fact they were great, so the program was a big success, with musical numbers by our primary, one soloist and the choir. I did receive a lot of compliments and comments on my talk, mostly about how they absolutely loved Sue's poem and could they get the book in the bookstore. I think I have talked Sue into sending it in to Deseret Books to get it published so that a lot of people could have access to it. She just published three copies of it, for her, me and the grandchildren for whom it was written. The best compliment of all though was one I received just as we was going out the door. A little girl, around 6 or7 whom I didn't know, came up to me and said, "I really enjoyed your story." That just made me want to cry. What a great tribute. At any rate, it was a great ending to a very enjoyable weekend and there you have it!

9 comments:

  1. Happy, Happy Birthday Darlene dear..Happy days will come to you all year..if I had one wish then it would be...A Happy, Happy Birthday to you from ME!!! You have just been sung too by YaYa and you haven't had to suffer listening to my actual voice..it's pretty bad! Looks like you had a wonderful Easter/Birthday. Your birthday probably hasn't fallen this close to Easter for a while! You are almost exactly one year younger than my Mom. Her birthday is May 17th. I'm so glad your talk went well. I was thinking about you and had to laugh because at 9am here, it's probably 7am by you and not being a morning person you would not have wanted to give a talk to our little branch! We have about 80 members that attend each Sunday. We are small but mighty! Glad you had such nice weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad your birthday turned out to be a fun day, Mom, and also that your talk went so well. I knew it would...

    Love you!

    =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like your style of bringing your own birthday cake. I ought to do that. I'm always wanting a cake on my birthday but usually there is none.

    It was fun for me to read about your weekend. For a little girl to compliment your talk, then you know it was wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am so happy you are back on your blog.I throughly enjoy reading about your events. I am so Happy you had a wonderful Birthday. Obviously, you are greatly loved. What a special moment to give a message on Easter. If you used Sue's story; it does need to be published. Yes, if a young girl said it was good; then it really was.
    This is a wonderful journal entry to share with your family; it's priceless.
    Blessings to you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Darlene honey a big belated Happy Birthday wish. I wish I had known it was your birthday.
    So happy you had such a fun filled day with so many friends and family.
    I would of loved to have been there Sunday to hear your story and music. I just know it was beautiful and how precious the little girl tellling you how much she enjoyed it.
    Sorry to hear that you have as many back pains as I do. I really hated to read that but glad you know how to manage it. Sounds like you are up and down a lot and oh how I can relate to that. lol Have not heard from my Captain when they are expecting me back to work but I am sure he will call before the day is through.
    Been on the computer trying to find an attorney to see if they can help me but I live in a very small town so it will have to be one from Houston which is over an hour away and that complicates me finding one.
    It is so nice to have you back on here. I love visiting your site and hearing from you. Just take it easy and don't over do it. I too will do the same
    Love ya
    Maggie

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so glad your birthday was a fun event with lots of family and good friends. I'd have loved to hear your talk too! Best wishes for a year filled with happiness and good health!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would love to have been there to hear your talk. I bet you are a wonderful speaker!! If you speak as well as you write, then there could be a pin heard as you talk!!
    Happy, birthday!!! I hope you feel better for your BD gift!! God's blessing s for many more!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for your comment on my blog. I was especially interested in your comments on a plate held on with inserts. I have been having fits with my teeth (I have got from 267 pounds to 208 pounds in the last year and a half, and thoughI give credit to the Melaleuca vitality for life program, I am suspicious that the real thing is that it takes me so long to eat anything good that my appetite has diminished a lot.) and have been considering having my plat fastened down that way.

    I answered most everything else you asked in the comment section of my own blog.. ( I really love long comments, it makes me think people still read my stuff)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Now how did I miss this post? Happy Belated Birthday my sweet friend. I hope your birthday and Easter weekend was wonderful. Hugs

    ReplyDelete